Summer Science Symposium Brings Student Theories to Life

UMW senior Hannah Frederick boiled a summer’s worth of scientific research down to a single hypothetical question. Cool and collected, she asked a crowd yesterday: How can math be used to keep Eve from accessing online conversations between Alice and Bob?

Despite the easy-to-digest synopsis, Frederick’s project – Applications of Circulant Matrices Over Finite Fields for a Key Exchange Protocol – was packed with complex concepts, intricate formulas and implications for far more than a trio of imaginary people.

“This could be amazing used in real life for things like online shopping and foreign intelligence,” said Frederick, who got hooked on cryptography last spring in a class with Professor of Mathematics Randall Helmstutler. “It’s just such an interesting topic.”

She was among 21 students chosen for their promise – and their curiosity – to take part in UMW’s Summer Science Institute (SSI). The program gives undergrads an intense 10-week research experience and a jumpstart on projects they plan to continue during the school year. Participants spread out across the Hurley Convergence Center yesterday, using giant posters and oral presentations to show off their methods and findings at the SSI Research Symposium. Topics ranged from the clean up of diesel spills to pollution of marine life by plastic, from construction of cluster computers to the stress-causing effects of cortisol in zebrafish.

Summer Science Institute participant Kelly Flynn researched the effects of environmental stress on floral development. She presented her findings inside the packed Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Brittany Gowarty explains parts of her research poster presentation to Professor of Biology Dianne Baker. The Summer Science Institute draws students from biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, computer science and math. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Nicholas Thompson points to a component of his research during the Summer Science Institute Research Symposium. The intensive 10-week session allowed him to delve into research on cortisol levels and stress in zebrafish. Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Onlookers packed the Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium for the Summer Science Institute Research Symposium 2019. The program gives students a chance to plunge into research before the start of the school year. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

A crowd that gathered at the Summe Science Institute Research Symposium got an earful, after students completed 10 weeks of intense research. Projects ranged from the clean up of diesel spills to pollution of marine life by plastic, from construction of cluster computers to the stress-causing effects of cortisol in zebrafish. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Assistant Professor of Biology Parrish Waters listens to one of the scholarly presentations delivered by UMW students during the Summer Science Institute Research Symposium. The program gives students a jumpstart on research they’re interested in continuing into the schoolyear. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Mary Hoffman presents her project – The Impact of Sulfoxaflor on the Physiology, Pulmonary Function and Behavior of Daphnia magna. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Catherine Crowell explains her research on trace contaminant leahing and the toxicity of coal ash. The 10-week Summer Science Institute allows students to work for hours per day on their research. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student John Wood explains the poster that represents the research he did during the 10-week Summer Science Institute. Wood’s project is entitled “Observing Wave Packet Dynamics in Small Diatomic Molecules.” Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

Fernando Cabezas presents his research – “Bacteremediation: Cleaning Diesel Spills with Bacteria from Virginia Beaches” – at the Summer Science Institute Research Symposium. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Brittany Gowarty presents “Influence of Social Status on Hippocampal BDNF,” the subject of her research during the 10-week Summer Science Institute. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Fernando Cabezas, who presented research on cleaning diesel spills, sits with Professor of Mathematics Randall Helmstutler during the Summer Science Institute Research Symposium. Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

UMW student Thanh-binh Duong speaks at the Summer Science Symposium at the Hurley Convergence Center. Her presentation was entitled “Determination of the Impact of Polyethelene Nanoplastics on the Toxicity of Methoxychlor on Daphnia magna.” Photos by Suzanne Carr Rossi.

“We’re looking for students who are really motivated with a high degree of curiosity,” said Associate Professor of Biology Abbie Tomba, who coordinates the program with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Davis Oldham. “These are the students who end up in my office with really good follow-up questions, and that’s important for a researcher.”

SSI pulls young scholars from six concentrations – biology, chemistry, computer science, Earth science, math and physics – into the lab for several hours a day to gather the momentum they’ll need to really rev up their research in the fall.

“Having that foundation early on gets them ready to work independently,” Oldham said. “They’re not using time during the school year to be trained. They’re building upon things they’ve already done before.”