One of senior Kate Green’s favorite activities this summer was wading in the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. Swimming in the cool, chin-deep waters, she collected specimens to study how parasites differently impact male and female freshwater snails.
“From biodiversity to human recreation, aquatic ecosystems play an important role in the lives of many different species,” said Kate, a University of Mary Washington conservation biology major, who pursued a completely novel research topic this summer. “My studies will help us obtain a fuller picture of how healthy our beloved rivers are.”
Kate was one of two students who took home the top prizes this year during UMW’s 25th annual Summer Science Institute (SSI), which engages undergraduate STEM students in a 10-week intensive research experience alongside their professors and peers. At a public symposium held July 24 in UMW’s Hurley Convergence Center, Green and her lab partner, biology major Morgan Hicok ’25, earned scholarship awards through the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Endowment. The funds will help them continue their research during the upcoming academic year.
Earth and environmental sciences major Joseph Gasink ’26 took second place, evaluating the impact of trace metals on invertebrates in a tidal marsh near a former coal-tar creosote plant. Joining him as runner-up was physics major Boone Fleenor ’26, who hypothesized that drones might be an effective tool to improve water circulation. They will also receive funding through Dr. Perkins’ endowment.
“I appreciate the role SSI plays in advancing student hands-on research so they can understand our world, gain valuable experience, develop critical thinking skills, and ignite their passion for science,” Dr. Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 said. “These inspired minds will shape the future with groundbreaking discoveries, improve healthcare, and address global challenges.”
Dr. Perkins earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Mary Washington and a medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. She conducted groundbreaking research on rheumatoid arthritis at the National Institutes of Health and reviewed clinical data at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to protect patients in clinical trials.
“As a woman entering the scientific field, I find Dr. Perkins incredibly inspirational,” said Kate, also praising the late Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59, who left UMW a transformational $30 million estate gift for scholarships and undergraduate scientific research. The University named the program for Rodgers in a ceremony on Wednesday. “I’d like to wholeheartedly thank both donors for their contributions to UMW and undergraduate STEM students, as well as to the growth of SSI.”
Morgan, who worked alongside Green and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Abbie Tomba, researched how parasites called trematodes can affect freshwater snails and their ability to fight against a current in aquatic ecosystems.
“Climate change is beginning to affect water levels and flow due to extreme weather,” said Morgan, who will use the Perkins award to continue experimentation and hopes to eventually attend graduate school. “This experience has helped guide my aspirations and my passion for research.”
SSI has grown exponentially throughout the past quarter century, with more than 500 students engaging in the program since its inception. Alumni participants in the program recently returned to campus for a luncheon that connected them with current scholars, faculty mentors, and industry professionals.
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Ray Scott, who attended the symposium, secured the original grant from DuPont, which helped launch the program. Funding from generous donors, as well as the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, has helped this year’s SSI participants engage in extensive research on a broad range of topics across disciplines.
Thirty students shared their findings through oral and poster presentations during Wednesday’s symposium. In labs and in the field, they discovered solutions to real-world issues, exploring breast cancer cell proliferation, electron dynamics, demographic shifts, myotonic dystrophy, decaying dark matter, how toxic pollutants affect the dopamine system, and more.
But mathematics major Benjamin Plonka ’27 said he pursued his project purely because of his passion. He and research partner Sophie Jensen ’27 investigated the concept of tetration, or repeated exponentiation, and visualized its behavior on a real and complex plane to see what intricate structures it can create.
“If we only study the world through the lenses of how it can serve us,” Benjamin said, “we deprive ourselves of seeing some pretty amazing things.”
Learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences’ Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 Summer Science Institute.
– Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04
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