Students honored at 18th Annual Eckerd College Research Symposium

Robinson stealthily approached Maddie Krischer, a sophomore marine science and computer science student from Cleveland, Ohio. Maddie was presenting the finer points of her research team’s computer modeling project, Using Machine Learning Techniques to Identify and Characterize Foraminifera, which could help researchers expedite future marine health and climate studies. When Maddie took a beat, Robinson closed in on her poster in the James Center lobby and hung two ribbons on the top left corner: first place in the geology category and an Excellence Award from the Gulf Scholars Program.

Once the shock wore off, Maddie’s friends and visitors to her poster applauded her accomplishment. She was floored by the recognition for something she says she did because she thought it was fun.

“Combining AI [artificial intelligence] with marine geology just makes sense,” Maddie explains of her research area. “The implications are really wide ranging.”

Her team had one of 81 presentations displayed from across several disciplines, including the social sciences. Winners were selected by Eckerd College alumni with careers in corresponding fields. Eight first-place winners were awarded, and the Gulf Scholars Program honored two projects with an Excellence Award for their work in the scientific or social research of the Gulf of America—known internationally as the Gulf of Mexico.

This year’s judging panel included: Alex Barone ’17, Barbara Del Castello ’15, Blaide Woodburn ’17, Cat Brown ’88, Chris Dukes ’13, Christopher Bauer ’07, Dan Karr ’68, Derek Sawyer ’02, Diana Huestis ’03, Dominique Lazarre ’06, Eric Ganko ’98, Guy Bradley ’85, Isa Rios ’21, Jacob Fillingham ’19, Jan Cragan ’77, Jane Petro ’68, Jenna Keany ’12, Jennifer Flannery ’05, Joy Vincent ’18, Kelly Cusick ’20, Ken Tremblay ’18, Kiana Sladicki ’17, Kim Rohling ’08, Lauren O’Dell ’16, Mark Mueller ’03, Mary Hilgeman Neal ’06, Melissa Berrien Elliott ’06, Olivia Spicer ’22, Padraic Fitzgerald ’12, Patrick Bryce ’10, Rayetta Henderson ’00, Rosemary Burkhalter-Castro ’19, Sarah (Bryan) Davenport ’17, Skye Dibner ’20, Tessa Hill ’99, Tom Battey ’11 and Tony Leyh ’13.

2025 Research Symposium Winners

Chemistry, Math, Physics

First Place: Colby Moore, Basu Lamichhane, Shruti Majumdar, Michael Schulz, Sujan Bastola, Ahmad Hasan, DISSOCIATIVE SINGLE CAPTURE IN P+HD COLLISIONS

Conservation

First Place: Jonathan Ballard, Gillian Smith, Dr. Philip Gravinese, CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON STONE CRAB PHYSIOLOGY: TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE IN MENIPPE MERCENARIA

Second Place: Cary Harding, Jeannie Alva, Dr. Peter Meylan, Dr. Peter Scott, GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF THE SUWANNEE COOTER, PSEUDEMYS CONCINNA SUWANNIENSIS, AT RAINBOW RIVER

Third Place: Alex Hernandez, Robert Shedden, Dr. Elizabeth Forys, DISTURBANCES AT A ST. PETE BEACH BLACK SKIMMER COLONY

Ecology and Behavior

First Place: Alejandra López Rueda, Madison Enman, Cassidy Taylor, Elena Torres, Sue Pasquine, Dr. Lauren Highfill, Dr. Timothy Bransford, CHANGES IN ORANGUTAN BEHAVIOR IN A ZOO HABITAT AFTER A PERMANENT GROUP SPLIT

Second Place: Abigail Kauke, Dr. Elizabeth Forys, USING CITIZEN SCIENCE TO REVIEW THE SEASONAL HABITAT DISTRIBUTION OF YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS (NYCTANASSA VIOLACEA) IN FLORIDA

Third Place: Lara Eade, Dr. Erin Frick, Camelle Zodrow, Kelly Martin, TRACKING BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN A ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN (STENO BREDANENSIS) SOCIAL INTRODUCTION

Geology

First Place and Gulf Scholars Excellence Award: Madelyn Krischer, Gabe Mopps, Jack Prior, Dr. Patrick Schwing, USING MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE FORAMINIFERA

Second Place: Clara Oxford, Dr. Patrick Schwing, Dr. Rebekka Larson, Dr. Gregg Brooks, CHARACTERIZING SPATIOTEMPORAL CHANGES OF WATER MASSES IN THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

Third Place: Smyth Fleming, DEVELOPING THE METHODOLOGY OF CENTRIFUGATION FOR THE SEPARATION OF GRAIN SIZES IN MUD-BASED SEDIMENTS

Health and Disease

First Place: Kacy Krig, Sinclair Emans, Nicole Stuhr, Alexander Soukas, COMBINED DOWNREGULATION OF INSULIN AND MITOCHONDRIAL SIGNALING LEADS TO MASSIVE LIFESPAN EXTENSION IN C. ELEGANS

Second Place: Ella Henderson, Emanuela Elezi, Tammy Gillis, Kevin Correia, Marcy Macdonald, GENOTYPE-PHENOTYPE STUDY WITH HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE POSTMORTEM BRAINS

Marine Ecology

First Place: Hans Johnson, Dr. Cory Krediet, IDENTIFYING CHANGES IN THE BACTERIAL MICROBIOME OF MODEL ORGANISM AIPTASIA FOLLOWING AN INCREASE IN SALINITY STRESS

Second Place: Gillian Smith, Taylor Queen, Jason Spadaro, Dr. Philip Gravinese, ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ELEVATED TEMPERATURES ON CARIBBEAN KING CRAB PHYSIOLOGY

Third Place: Evan Baran, Dr. Patrick Schwing, Dr. Gregg Brooks, Dr. Rebekka Larson, CONTINUING TRENDS OF BENTHIC COMMUNITY CHARACTERIZATION IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO

Molecular and Cell Biology

First Place: Akari Miura, Krishnakanth Kondabolu, Max Stern, Dadi Gao, Ricardo Harripaul, Anil Chekuri, Elisabetta Morini, Dr. Susan Slaugenhaupt, TESTING THE IN VIVO EFFICACY OF PTC680 IN RESCUING RETINAL DEGENERATION IN A MOUSE MODEL OF FAMILIAL DYSAUTONOMIA

Second Place: Madison J. McCune; Philip Boone, M.D., Ph.D.; Michael Talkowski, Ph.D., FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC MODELING OF THE DISORDERS OF GENOME ORGANIZATION

Social Science

First Place: Melissa Castro-Arellano, Lyla Blanchard, Georgia Cox, Dr. Sarah Lyle, MODERATING EFFECTS OF RELIGIOSITY AND SPIRITUALITY IN BISEXUAL AND PANSEXUAL ADULTS

Second Place: Jesus I. Valencia, Dr. Sarah M. Lyle, INTERSECTIONALITY UNDER PRESSURE: HOW FLORIDA’S POLITICAL CLIMATE SHAPES QUEER LATINE ADULTS’ SENSE OF IDENTITY AND BELONGING—AN ONGOING STUDY

Gulf Scholars Excellence Award: Katharine Murray, Dr. Rebekka Larson, Dr. Gregg Brooks, Dr. Patrick Schwing, INVESTIGATING DRILLING MUDS IN DEEP-SEA SEDIMENTS: NORTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO