Ripon biology students win awards for research at WiSER conference

Ripon College’s biology senior seminar students took home awards for their research at the inaugural WiSER conference in early October.

WiSER is a consortium of science educators in higher education from across Wisconsin that is focused on exposing students to research. This year’s conference was at Medical College of Wisconsin and involved undergraduates, master’s students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty from institutions across the state.

According to WiSER’s website, there were 468 people registered from 23 Wisconsin colleges and universities.

Greta Mahler, BioForward Wisconsin Award

Greta Mahler, a senior majoring in chemistry-biology, received the BioForward Wisconsin Award for best poster presentation.

“My research was on cell signaling and regeneration in zebrafish, and how to make those topics more efficient to teach in a college level-setting, with the goal of getting published in the journal ‘Zebrafish,’” Mahler said.

She chose that topic because her Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) mentor, Associate Professor of Biology Barbara Sisson, had taught these topics in Developmental Biology which she took during summer 2023.

Mahler’s work was published in “Zebrafish” in April 2024.

At the WiSER conference, Mahler presented her research in a poster session, in which she stood next to her poster engaging with other students and faculty interested in her research.

Mahler said she was shocked to find out she had won an award.

“I was honestly very surprised,” Mahler said. “There were over 200 students presenting and I was competing against people with higher degrees of education, so I went into the conference with no expectations.”

Mahler said she has a few key takeaways from her experience. Some of those include the privilege to present her work at such a large conference as an undergraduate student and the fact that hard work pays off.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Mahler said. “If you see the value in your work or research, share it with others. Your passion for your work is contagious, and that’s what makes a difference.”

Benjamin Rahlf, Medical College of Wisconsin Award

Benjamin Rahlf, a senior double majoring in biology and secondary education, received the Medical College of Wisconsin Award for runner-up poster presentation.

“My research is on craniofacial cartilage development in zebrafish,” Rahlf said. “Specifically, I was looking at the effects of glypican4 and wnt5b mutations on the development of the hyomandibular element. I found that the two mutations we were looking at did in fact cause deformity in that region.”

Rahlf said he chose this topic because he’s interested in developmental biology, yet never had the chance to take a class on it.

He also worked alongside Sisson, who gave him the opportunity to do research in that field and learn more about it.

“I provided him with a series of pictures of cartilage that have different genetic makeups that were taken when I was a postdoctoral fellow and shared online tutorials on how to do the analysis,” Sisson said. “We then met regularly to talk about his progress and address any questions he had.”

Rahlf said he is taking away some great memories from the conference and winning the award was the “icing on the cake.”

“I was very surprised to have been selected, and it is an honor to know that the faculty found my research and presentation to be worthy of this recognition,” Rahlf said. “Although we didn’t all win awards, we all did very good work and deserve to be acknowledged for the research we produced and the effort that went into it.”

Natalie McNeely, Oral Presenter

Natalie McNeely, a senior double majoring in biology and environmental studies with a minor in educational studies, was selected as one of seven undergraduates to give an oral presentation at the conference.

McNeely’s presentation was on the floral preferences of central Wisconsin bumble bees. She also worked with Sisson and Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Environmental Studies Program Benjamin Grady.

“Dr. Grady urged me to submit an abstract and see if I could be selected for a presentation,” McNeely said. “A limited number of presentation slots were available, so I was excited and nervous to hear that I was chosen. Still, Dr. Grady helped me create a timeline and worked alongside me as I prepared to present our research.”

This was the first time the “Grady Lab” research was presented at a conference, to which McNeely said she was honored to present at the WiSER conference.

“Through this experience, I had networking opportunities, expanded my public speaking skills and learned how to tell a story with my research,” McNeely said. “I am pleased with my experience and honored that I was able to be a part of such an interesting and impactful conference.”

Sisson said she is very proud of every student involved in the conference. Other student presenters include: Emily Byington, Alexander Henriques (who acted as the moderator for McNeely’s session), Joleigh Petrik, Rachel Travis and Rickie Bailey. Professor of Biology Memuna Khan and Associate Professor of Biology Robin Forbes-Lorman also attended in support.

“All of the students that went to the conference did an excellent job making and presenting their posters,” Sisson said. “They worked hard on their research projects and their posters.”

(Photos: Group photo of student presenters and biology professors; photo of Benjamin Rahlf and Greta Mahler with their awards.)

Posted November 8, 2024 in Student.

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