The Department of Biological Sciences Congratulates all Winners and Participants for a Successful 2026 DBS Symposium
On October 22nd, the Department of Biological Sciences was pleased to hold its 12th annual Departmental Symposium and Research Showcase. This annual event provides an ideal platform for highlighting the outstanding research ongoing in all our labs by trainees. Hosted by the Graduate Student Association in conjunction with the CARS and post-doc trainees, the event boasted over 100 attendees including undergraduates, graduates, post-docs and faculty. Hands down, this was the best one yet. Everyone gathered for a social boxed lunch followed by a kick-off talk by Adam Reitzel, Professor and Associate Dean of Research for the Klein College of Science. Dr. Reitzel provided words of wisdom to the trainees as they embark on their professional journey. A junior faculty spotlight talk allowed new Assistant Professor Dr. Talia Hatkevich to present her work in the context of the larger questions and impact of her work. The passion of both Drs. Reitzel and Hatkevich for their work was infectious and inspirational. The full day event included oral presentations and poster sessions that provided all levels of trainees to present their research. There were 48 oral and poster presentations from 23 different research labs and student organizations. 30 graduate students made up a majority of presenters. All the talks and poster presentations were outstanding, and everyone should give themselves a round of applause. A fundraising raffle added some fun to the day; two well-stocked baskets were won by Dr. Christine Richardson and Dr. Adam Reitzel (who must have purchased the most tickets to support the event). The day ended with a talk and presentation by Dr. Deb Thomas, Professor and Associate Vice Chancellor of Research, who also presented the awards for best trainee presentations. Awardees included: 1st Place Postdoctoral Oral Presentation: Dr. Yevheniia Bushman; 2nd Place Postdoctoral Oral Presentation: Dr. Tyler Brown; 1st Place Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Krishna Majithia; 2nd Place Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Jacob Hawkins; 1st Place Graduate Student Poster Presentation: Ella Kellner; 2nd Place Graduate Student Poster Presentation: Chengjie Zhu; 1st Place Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation: Elizabeth Riley; 2nd Place Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation: Ivy Pfeffer. Top graduate student organizers Sal DeAndrea and Maya Raine deserve special kudos for a wonderfully organized event. They worked along a large collective group of other fabulous graduate students. Other special thank you accolades go to Dr. Aneesha Dasgupta, Dr. Yevheniia Bushman, Sydney Allen, and Doaha Awad who were truly invaluable in the planning process. We also thank everyone who volunteered time to be our judges. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.