On August 29, 2015, three VT EPSCoR interns presented their research at the 2015 AGMUS Research Symposium for Minority Students in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The conference was hosted by Dr. Juan F. Arratia, Executive Director of the Student Research Development Center. Two RACC interns presented research posters created from their experiences with the VT EPSCoR internship in the summer of 2015.
Universidad Metopolitana sophomore, Jake Carrasquillo, presented the research he conducted with Dr. Yaoyang Xu, Peter Isles, Dr. Jason Stockwell, and Dr. Andrew Schroth on algal blooms in Lake Champlain and Shelburne Pond. His poster was titled: Nitrogen Fixation by Cyanobacteria in Two Contrasting Ecosystems. Jake's research looked at two very different sites to learn how factors interact before, during, and after an algal bloom, and specifically how nitrogen fixation plays a role in the system. Jake was awarded a SACNAS Travel Scholarship, which will enable him to present his poster at the 2015 SACNAS National Conference in Washington, D. C. on October 29-31.
Jelissa Reynoso, a student at the University of Puerto Rico, presented her project titled: Total Phosphorus and Total Suspended Solids Removal by Bioretention Systems. The bioretention cells are located at the University of Vermont, a project led by her mentor, Dr. Stephanie Hurley. Jelissa was particularly interested in the TP and TSS in-flow and out-flow from these bioretention cells after storm events.
2014 RACC intern, Illiansherry Santiago, continues to study water quality in her coursework at the University of Puerto Rico. During the summer 2015, she completed a research project looking at the nutrients and metal contamination in the Rio Piedras River in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Lindsay Wieland, Director of the VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity, sat on the invited panel to discuss summer internship opportunities and the value of undergraduate research.