ISA students have presented their research or attended local, regional, and national conferences during the fall and spring semesters. Conferences ISA students have participated in have included FURF and SURF at the University of Iowa, Research in the Capitol in Des Moines, and several regional and national conferences. Read more for a complete list. Congratulations to all presenters!
FALL (2024) AND SPRING (2025) SEMESTER | ||
IOWA SCIENCES ACADEMY STUDENT PRESENTATIONS | ||
| Regional / National Conferences | ||
| Krishna Bharadwaj | Science Alliance | Bharadwaj, K., Kitchen, A. (April 2025). Selection Analysis of TBR1 Gene in Primates. Poster presentation at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), Pittsburgh, PA |
| Seren Castellano | MARC | S. Castellano, A. Evers, M. Neiman. Tidal or Timed? A Comparative Study of Sleep Behavior in Freshwater vs. Estuarine Snails. SACNAS National STEM Conference. Poster presentation in Phoenix, Arizona. 2024. Attendee at the American Association for Biological Anthropologists (AABA) conference in Baltimore, MA March 2025. |
| Fabiola Castaneda-Santiago | MARC | Castaneda-Santiago, F., Brown, G., Steffensen, M., Forbes, A., Diversity and host ranges of Eupelmidae parasites of oak gall wasps. Entomological Society of America Conference 2024, Phoenix, AZ.
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| Lee Flores | MARC | Will attend the Behavior Analysis International Conference Washington D.C. May 2025. |
| Klaertje Hesselink | MARC | K. Hesselink, K. Velinkar, E. Nikolla*, Controlled Synthesis of Non-Precious Mixed Metal Oxides Using Reverse Microemulsions for Energy Storage Systems. American Institute of Chemical Engineers National Conference. San Diego, CA, 2024 Controlled synthesis of on-precious mixed metal oxides using reverse microemulsions for energy storage systems. AICHE National Conference San Diego, October 2024 |
| Jasmyn Hoeger | MARC | J. Hoeger, N. Witmer, J. McLendon, R. Boudreau., Discovery and Initial Characterization of a Diverse Family of Microproteins Derived From Alternative Open Reading Frames (altORFs) in SCN (NaV) Genes. Microproteins: from Discovery to Application Keystone Meeting. Beverly, MA, 2024 I attended the Microproteins: from Discovery to Application Keystone Meeting in Beverly MA from February 6-9th. I presented a poster and gave a 10 minute short talk (with power point presentation) at the meeting. |
| Natalie Kehrli | MARC | Kehrli, N., Filip, T., Akhras, S., Russell, M., Minor, K., Busanet, H., Thakkar, K., McCleery, A. (April 10, 2025). Exploring Physical Activity Patterns in College Students with Elevated Schizotypal Traits: A Comparison of Self-Report and Sensor Data. [Poster Presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL. April 2025 |
| Abby Myroth | MARC | Will attend the Sleep 2025 Associated Professional Sleep Societies Conference in Seattle, WA June 2025. |
| Bhoomika Shettigar | LSAMP | Shettigar, B., & Demir-Lira, E. Relations Between Green Space Access and Children's Cognitive Performance [Poster Presentation]. Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA) Conference at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL. April 2025 |
| Local Conferences | ||
| Lee Flores | MARC | Iowa Association for Applied Behavior Analysis (Iowa ABA) Des Moines, October 2024. |
| Natalie Kehrli | MARC | Measuring Physical Activity in the Schizophrenia-Spectrum: Insights from Pedometry-Based Studies. Research in the Capitol Des Moines, IA March 2025 |
| Riley McCoy | LSAMP | Tau pathology leads to increased activity of noradrenergic neurons, contributing to early Alzheimer's disease. Research in the Capitol Des Moines, IA March 2025 |
| Bhoomika Shettigar | LSAMP | Relations Between Green Space Access and Children’s Cognitive Performance Research in the Capitol Des Moines, IA March 2025 |
| Fall Undergraduate Festival (FURF), University of Iowa, November, 2024 | ||
| Krishna Bharadwaj | Science Alliance | Tooth replacement and cranial description of Indian predatory dinosaur |
| Adriana Castellano | Science Alliance | Putting Snails to Sleep for Science: Refining Anesthesia Techniques for Regeneration Research |
| Klaertje Hesselink | MARC | Controlled synthesis of non-precious mixed metal oxides using reverse microemulsions for energy storage systems |
| Natalie Kehrli | MARC | An Empirical Review of Cognitive Behavioral Social Skills Training (CBSST) and Helping Older People Experience Success (HOPES) for Older Populations Experiencing Severe Mental Illness |
| Abby Myroth | MARC | Optimizing optogenetics for investigating sleep-dependent brain rhythms in rat pups |
| Eduardo (Eddie) Sandoval | Science Alliance | Gravitational Orbits and Dark Matter Arising from String Theory |
| Spring Undergraduate Research Festival (SURF), University of Iowa, April 2025 | ||
| Adriana Castellano | Science Alliance | "Tentacle Tales: How Genome Architecture and Nutrient Availability Shape Tissue Regeneration in a Freshwater Snails” |
| Stella Gerlock | Science Alliance | Influence of Surface Roughness on Near Free-Surface Turbulent Wakes of Extended Bluff Bodies |
| Natalie Kehrli | MARC | Exploring Physical Activity Patterns in College Students with Elevated Schizotypal Traits: A Comparison of Self-Report and Sensor Data
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| Riley McCoy | LSAMP | Tau pathology leads to increased activity of noradrenergic neurons, contributing to early Alzheimer's disease
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| Andrea Medina | Latham | Association Between Facial Processing and Social Cognition in Schizophrenia |
| Chidera Mitchell | Latham | On Your Mind: An Alzheimer's Journey |
| Tae Shaun Presswood | Science Alliance | "Tentacle Tales: How Genome Architecture and Nutrient Availability Shape Tissue Regeneration in a Freshwater Snails”
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| Sabrina Vlk | Latham | Interactive STEM Activities and Lessons for Middle School
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| Isabelle Yoder | Science Alliance | Quantifying the Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Function in Healthy, Older Adults |
ISA Student Awards and Recognition
ISA Student | Article (if applicable) |
| Seren Castellano named 2025 Goldwater Scholar | Iowa Now |
| Klaertje Hesselink earns 1st place in the Tinker Process Safety Competition | Iowa Sciences Academy |
| Seren Castellano Dare to Discover | Dare to Discover 2025 Campaign Features Four ISA Students |
| Jasmyn Hoeger Dare to Discover | Dare to Discover 2025 Campaign Features Four ISA Students |
| Natalie Kehrli Dare to Discover | Dare to Discover 2025 Campaign Features Four ISA Students |
| Lydia Karr Dare to Discover | Dare to Discover 2025 Campaign Features Four ISA Students |
| Natalie Kehrli First Generation Student Achievement | 1stGen@Iowa Awards and Recognition |
| Seren Castellano Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award (EURA). | Office of Undergraduate Research |
| Jasmyn Hoeger Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award (EURA). | Office of Undergraduate Research |
