Annual BGSO Spring Symposium

Everyone is welcome to present at the BGSO Spring Symposium.

It is a great opportunity to practice your public speaking and scientific communication skills. You may choose to present either a research project you have been working on or a proposal for a future study, any presentations are welcome. You don't need to have your study completed to present: even if you are just getting started with your program, you are encouraged to present your future research and run it by your fellow graduate students.

All students are welcome to present, regardless of their program and affiliation (this said, undergraduate researchers or students outside of ODU are invited).

  • BGSO Spring Symposium 2025

    Location: ODU Main Campus, Webb Center, 2nd floor, Isle of Wight/Cape Charles Room

    Date: Mar 29, 2025

    Awards

    People's choice award: Chi Wei "Family matters and so does avoiding inbreeding"

    1st best PhD presentation: Ryan Kilduff "GTP-derived alarmones attenuate type-I interferon signaling in RAW-Dual cell line"

    2nd best PhD presentation: Oleksii Dubovyk "Metrics of observed taxonomic bird diversity vary by time of day"

    3rd best PhD presentation: Emily Ogawa "Applying a macro lens to microplastics: Modeling microplastic ingestion risk by Humpback Whales in the Chesapeake Bay"

    1st best MS presentation: Cate Hemphill "Effects of sediment composition on two marsh species in Coastal Virginia: A thin-layer placement experiment"

    2nd best MS presentation: Lily Sisk "Ant species classification on Old Dominion University’s campus"

    3rd best MS presentation: Mel Lhuillier "Swimming behavior of Longfin Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) paralarvae"

    Acknowledgements

    The BGSO Spring Symposium is organized by the Biology Graduate Student Organization, an Old Dominion University student organization sponsored through Student Engagement & Traditions.

    This event would be impossible without the support provided by the Department of Biological Sciences (College of Sciences) at Old Dominion University, namely the Chair, Dr. Holly Gaff, and the office staff: Bianca Tapia and Amanda Jackson. The BGSO also appreciates the help of the volunteer judges (Dr. Daniel Barshis, Dr. Shirel Kahane-Rapport, Dr. Michelle King) and all the faculty who encouraged their students to present their work.

  • BGSO Spring Symposium 2024

    Location: ODU Tri-cities Center (1070 University Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23703)

    Date: Feb 24, 2024, 11 am

    Program

    11:00 – 11:30    Arrival & Reception

    11:30 – 11:45   Ella DiPetto "Evaluating the short-term trajectory of small-scale living shorelines within a socioecological context"

    11:45 - 12:00    Zlatka Rebolledo Sanchez "Wetlands and protected areas in Hampton Roads"

    12:00 - 12:15    Alex Wright "Longleaf restoration strategies and their effects on avian and plant communities"

    12:15 – 12:30   Chandell Jablonski "Spatial and temporal genetic variation between two populations of Toothed Ponyfish (Gazza minuta) from the Philippines"

    12:30 - 12:45    Niaylah Means "Evaluation of T cell development as a cause for Tc1 vaccine failure during chronic schistosomiasis"

    12:45 - 1:00      John Schaefer "Examining 100 years of human impacts on the genetic diversity of the common pony fish, Leiognathus equula"

    1:00 - 2:00        Lunch & Social

    2:00 - 2:15        Nathaniel Ostrum "Understanding tick-borne disease dynamics: insights from small mammal reservoirs in Richmond, Virginia"

    2:15 - 2:30        Ayesha Atique "Estrogen, progesterone, and hCG: gatekeepers or enablers? Hormonal impacts on Listeria monocytogenes trojan horse translocation across the placental barrier"

    2:30 - 2:45       Chi Wei "Breeder dispersal in the cooperative breeding Acorn Woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus)"

    2:45 - 3:00       Maizer Sparkman "Distribution of H. americana in the Chesapeake Bay"

    3:00 - 3:15       Annette Berkin "Proposed investigation of cell fate redirection via 3D-bioprinted mammary organoid models"

    3:15 - 3:30       Oleksii Dubovyk "FilterABM: an agent-based model of trait-based environmental filtering"

    3:30 - 3:45       Break

    3:45 - 4:00       Closing Ceremony & Awards

    Abstracts

    The abstracts should be available on this web-site (see Resources) or using the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1daR_akXw3JRSHwVFRAhVM7oVt3GgJqyI/view?usp=sharing

    Awards

    People's Choice Award: John Schaefer

    MS talks - I place: Chandell Jablonski

    MS talks - II place: Nathaniel Ostrum and John Schaefer (tie)

    PhD talks - I place: Ella DiPetto

    PhD talks - II place: Zlatka Rebolledo Sanchez

    Acknowledgements

    Dr. Isaura Simoes, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

    Dr. Christina Steel, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences

    Dr. Eric L. Walters, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

    Julie Jo Walters, Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences

    Special thanks to Chair, Dr. Holly Gaff, and Office Manager, Megan Milla

    Special thanks to ODU Tri-cities Center staff, especially, Evon Hughes, Lex Richels, and Davion Hussen