Biology students win awards for research

Biology research teams from the University of North Georgia (UNG) presented their work on 12 projects at the Georgia Academy of Science (GAS) meeting during the spring semester, with two of the groups bringing home awards. The event was held at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Student Casey Torgesen and Dr. Evan Lampert, a professor of biology, won the Poster Presentation Competition for their project, "Wolbachia infection in ants of North Georgia."

Students Alyssa Simpson and Taerin Jeong and Dawn Drumtra, a principal lecturer of biology, took first place in the Undergraduate Podium Presentation Competition for "Assessing Bisphenol A (BPA) in the lungs, liver, muscle, and digestive systems of wild birds: A study to determine contamination and exposure pathways."

Lampert and Torgesen, a senior from Cornelia, Georgia, pursuing degrees in biology and chemistry, began their research after Lampert received a $5,000 University System of Georgia STEM award. Torgesen initially joined Lampert's parasitology course project that was testing mosquitoes for Wolbachia bacteria so he could learn the lab techniques. Lampert said Torgesen's enthusiasm and voracious reading on the topic helped shape the pair's research, including to focus on ants for their project that was separate from the course.

"I wouldn't be able to do this without my mentors and the support of UNG," Torgesen said. "I don't feel like you'll find this type of undergraduate research many other places."

Lampert said Torgesen screened about 100 ants for the bacteria, including many hours working on the project during winter break.

"He ended up getting really wonderful results," Lampert said. "His enthusiasm and knowledge propelled him to a winning poster presentation."

Simpson, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, also pursuing a degree in biology, was grateful for the recognition of her team's project.

"I'm glad to see other people think it's as important as I do and understand the environmental implications. It helps people understand the gravity of the situation," Simpson said. "Things don't change unless people know it's a problem."

For Simpson and Jeong, the conference award was their latest recognition. They were part of the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement program in 2025. The students secured a trio of external grants, including a pair of individual Norene Boring Undergraduate Research Grants from the Georgia Ornithological Society totaling $1,000 and a grant for Simpson of almost $800 from the Oconee River Audubon Society. They earned two College of Science & Mathematics grants, as well. Drumtra is grateful to see the validation for their groundbreaking work on BPA in birds.

"It's so encouraging for the students because they're working so hard every week," Drumtra said. "It makes the entire semester's amount of effort worth it."

Other projects presented by UNG at the GAS meeting included:

• "Cabbage by name, kale by choice: Feeding preference in Trichoplusia ni," Danielle R. Burkman with faculty mentors Dr. Margaret Smith, Dr. Ryan Shanks and Dr. Erin Barding.
• "Monitoring the dispersal of spotted lanternflies (Lycorma delicatula) in North Georgia, USA, using funnel traps on Ailanthus Altissima at different distances from railyards," Carissa Goodwin, Natalie Boudreaux and Heather Powell with faculty mentor Dr. Jason Lang.
• "Uncovering fish faunal exchanges across Georgia's watersheds: The curious case of the Bandfin Shiner," Sydney Griffith, Sarah Holgate, Lillian Brenters, Michael Cagampan, Michael Kelling, and Grace Vaughn with faculty mentors Dr. Rachel Perez-Udell and Dr. Andrew Taylor.
• "BPA concentration in wild birds vs. rehabilitating birds," Jeong and Simpson with faculty mentor Drumtra.
• "Effect of altered salinity on Lytechinus variegatus development," Davina Kara with faculty mentors Dr. Shane Webb and Dr. Margaret Smith.
• "A study of environmental contamination: Expanding bird species representation for Bisphenol A (BPA) testing," Simpson with faculty mentor Drumtra.
• "In progress: A comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of late Pleistocene fossil-bearing localities in Southeastern North America using paired data from the Neotoma Paleontological Database and supplementary published resources," Mary Dickens with faculty mentor Dr. David Patterson and Georgia College & State faculty member Dr. Alfred Mead.
• "The cytotoxic effect inserted bacteriophage genes on Mycobacterium smegmatis," Logan Knotts and Kale Banks with faculty mentor Dr. Alison Kanak.
• "Investigating the reliability and validity of the Mindflex," Powell Brenters, Nicole Chuong and Brooke Greenwald with faculty mentors Dr. John Dewey and Dr. Wei-Lun Sun.
• "Immunofluorescence microscopy of Drosophila larvae in the neuromuscular junction and segmental muscles," Selma Music and Brody Jenrette with faculty mentor Dr. Yue Qian.