students at SACNAS
From left: Sam Reveles, Wafa Zeidan, Lily Sturmer, Nichole Palmer, Christine Case, Ai Tran, and Stephen Fredricks.

At the Society for the Advancement of Native Americans and Chicanos in Science (SACNAS) Conference on October 29-31, five Skyline College students presented their original scientific research alongside students from University of Texas, Princeton University, Yale University, University of California, University of Vermont, Stanford University, and many other universities. The conference theme was Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The Role of Diversity in STEM Innovation. The conference was held in Washington, D.C. and sponsored by the CIA, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and the USDA.

Papers were selected for the conference in a competitive judging from abstracts submitted in June. About half of the submitted abstracts are accepted for the conference.

Skyline’s students worked with their mentor, Christine Case. They began their research last spring in BIOL 230 and continued through the summer in BIOL 695. Stephen Fredricks worked with the students to register and prepare them for presenting at a national conference. Chris and Stephen reported that the students were knowledgeable and professional, and represented Skyline College well.

You can see the students and their posters at http://accounts.smccd.edu/case/biol690/students15.html. All of these students now have their first publication:

  • “Impacts of Invasive Plants on Microbial Metabolism in Coastal Sand Dunes,” Ai Tran
  • “Performance Comparisons of Co-Occurring Native Baccharis and Invasive Delairea,” Sam Reveles
  • “Indoor Microbial Air Quality of a 42-Year-Old Elementary School,” Lillian Sturmer and Nichole Palmer
  • “Evaluating Rhodiola rosea for Controlling Food Spoilage and Foodborne Illness,” Wafa Zeidan

Article by Christine Case