Science Students Present and Win at Undergraduate Research Symposium

  • From left: Professor Matthew Lundquist, Juliet Hernandez ’25, Biology post-bac Eliana Fassihi, Iris Parke ’23, and Professor Alessandra Leri
  • Biology students Eliana Fassihi, Iris Parke, and Juliet Hernandez
  • Iris Parke was awarded first place in the Biochemistry category.
  • Eliana Fassihi was awarded first place in the Microbiology category.
  • Iris Parke and Eliana Fassihi were mentored by Professor of Chemistry Dr. Alessandra Leri.
Marymount Manhattan Biology students shone in April at the 16th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in Biological and Chemical Sciences, where they presented original research and won first place in two categories. The symposium, held at William Paterson University in New Jersey, featured more than 100 undergraduate presenters from colleges and universities across the region.

Senior Iris Parke ’23, a double major in Biomedical Sciences and Dance: Body, Science, and Motion, was awarded first place in the Biochemistry category for her poster, “The World’s Least Understood Carbon Sink: Spectroscopic Analysis of Peat’s Sequestered Organic Matter.” 

In addition, Biology post-bac Eliana Fassihi took home first place in the Microbiology category for her poster, “Fecal Indicator Bacteria in New York City Playgrounds.” Both students were mentored by Professor of Chemistry Alessandra Leri, Ph.D.

Sophomore Juliet Hernandez ’25 presented a poster on research she conducted, “Impact of Urbanization on the Size of Insect Larvae in the Bronx River,” under the supervision of Assistant Professor of Biology Matthew Lundquist, Ph.D. Juliet is a double major in Biology and Environmental Studies.

Iris, Eliana, and Juliet represented MMC beautifully at the symposium. Congratulations to our student presenters!