SAMURS

Purple flyer including Sciences and Mathematics symposium information also included in the text of theweb page.

2026 Spring SAMURS will be held on

Thursday, June 11 from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM in Milgard 110

Welcome to the Sciences and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium!

The University of Washington Tacoma Environmental Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sustainability, and Mathematics majors host an Environmental Research Symposium, Sciences and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium (SAMURS). This event showcases the capstone research projects of our undergraduate students. The presentations by our undergraduate students, cover a broad range of questions and projects related to the environment, mathematics, sustainability and much more. Projects are conducted in the lab, in the trees, in the mud, in the classroom, at an aquarium, on the water, underwater and on land. Some are original research with a faculty mentor, pushing the boundaries of what is known in their fields. Others participate in internships, where they help community partners further their missions through service. What all these diverse students have in common is the determination and dedication to complete an independent study as part of their undergraduate education. We hope you are inspired and educated by what they have accomplished.

Students presenting at Spring 2026 SAMURS can use Student Submission Portal (CLICK HERE).

Future SAMURS Dates (subject to change):

Spring 2026: June 11th at MLG 110
Summer 2026: August 21st at MLG 110
Autumn 2026: December 18th at TPS Lobby
Spring 2027: June 10th at MLG 110
Summer 2027: August 20th at MLG 110

SAMURS Archives

Each year, SAM posts the results of our student work. Within the SAMURS Archives you can find a variety of research that our students and faculty have engaged in throughout the years in the Puget Sound and beyond.

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Spring 2026 - Abstracts and Posters

Biomedical Sciences

Student Name	Mentor	Capstone course	Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract)
Lara Abdullah	Scott Rayermann	TBIOMD 496	Immunology and Gastroenterology: The Association Between Genes, Autoimmune Diseases, and Gastrointestinal Issues
Natalie Abkemeier	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 495	Unseen and Undiagnosed - Diagnostic Accuracy of HbA1c for Screening for Diabetes in Africa
Sam Bales	Anna Groat Carmona	TBIOMD 495, 499	Analysis of putative RNA structural element from the Dengue Virus Type 2 Capsid-Coding Region
Gracen L Buchanan	Hannah Baughman	TBIOMD 499	Structural Analysis and Strategic Truncation of Plasmodium BEM46-Like Protein (PBLP), a Malarial Hydrolase
Aleaya Callahan	Sarah Alaei	TBIOMD 499	Characterizing Hypovesiculating Mutants in Porphyromonas gingivalis
Zaki Farah	Anna Groat Carmona	TBIOMD 495	Characterization of Conserved RNA Elements using Dengue Virus Infectious Clones
Ridley Spencer Haderman	Hannah Baughman	TBIOMD 495	Plasmodium BEM46-like protein from Plasmodium yoelii: Computational models utilized to analyze alpha/beta-hydrolase characteristics and optimize expression protocols
Shanell Hill	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 492	From Oink to Aorta: The Limitations and Future of Porcine Aortic Bioprosthetics
Jose De Jesus Hueso	Sarah Alaei and Marc Nahmani	TBIOMD 495	Investigating the Impacts of Arsenic Exposure on Chinese Mystery Snail Behavior and Gut Microbiome
Emma Kelley	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 492	Vitamin E and Selenium Supplementation for the Prevention of Bovine Mastitis
Crystal Le	Jack Vincent	TBIOMD 495	Constructing a CRISPR-Cas9 Vector for Mutagenesis of a Potential Phosphorylation Site of the Dsn1 Kinetochore Protein
My Le	Sarah Alaei and Marc Nahmani	TBIOMD 495	Investigating the Impacts of Arsenic Exposure on Chinese Mystery Snail Behavior and Gut Microbiome
Arshveer Malhi	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 492	Polypharmacy and Fragmented Prescribing in Older Adults with Heart Failure: Impacts on Treatment Prioritization and Clinical Outcomes
Maria Victoria Malyshev	Anna Maria Groat Carmona	TBIOMD 495	Analysis of putative RNA structural element from the Dengue Virus Type 2 Capsid-Coding Region
Madison McSorley	Julie Masura	TESC 499	2023 Characterization of Sediment and Water Samples from Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Rashad Muhammad	Hannah Baughman	TBIOMD 495	The Addition of Protease Inhibitors to Improve PBLP Purification From E. coli for Further Investigation
Jaydee Purganan Navos	Sarah Alaei	TBIOMD 495	Investigating the Impacts of Arsenic Exposure on Chinese Mystery Snail Behavior and Gut Microbiome
Jennifer Nguyen	Hannah Baughman	TBIOMD 495	Optimizing the Isolation of Plasmodium BEM46-Like Protein, an Enzyme from Malarial Parasite Plasmodium yoelii
Kate O'Sullivan	Anna Groat Carmona	TBIOMD 495	Functional Characterization of a Conserved RNA Structural Element in Dengue Virus Replication
Em Patton	Joyce Dinglasan Panlilio	TBIOMD 499	Method Development for Evaluation of PFAS from Mussel Tissue
Jyoti Rana	Jutta Heller	TBIOMD 492	Does Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Antibiotics Increase the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Mehakpreet Randhawa	Marc Nahmani and Sarah Alaei	TBIOMD 495	The Effect of Arsenic Contamination on the Behavior and Microbiome of Chinese Mystery Snails
Xzavier Singh Randhawa	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 492	Use of Insulin Analogues Provides Greater Benefit in Preventing Microvascular Complications in People With Type 2 Diabetes Than Human Insulin
Elizabeth Louise Riffel	Tawanda Chivese	TGH 490, 491, 494	Reducing the Leading Cause of Maternal Mortality Globally: Maternal Hemorrhage
Giovanny Rosales	Hannah E.R. Baughman	TBIOMD 499	Recombinant expression and purification of NF-kB p50/c-Rel heterodimers for DNA-binding biochemical studies
Diana Saburova	Jutta B. Heller	TBIOMD 492	Early detection of diabetic retinopathy in older adults: Evidence from preventing vision loss through modern screening methods
Jose Salinas	Hannah Baughman	TBIOMD 499	Purification and Functional Characterization of the p50/ReIB Intrinsically Disordered Region in NF-kB Signaling
Amanda Alexandria Schupner	Megan Schwartz	TBIOMD 499	Integrating Environmental DNA and Traditional DNA Barcoding Reveals Higher Zooplankton Species Richness
Sunroop Singh	Anna Maria Groat Carmona	TBIOMD 495	Characterization of Conserved RNA Elements using Dengue Virus Infectious Clones
Joy Song	Alison Gardell	TBIOMD 495	Perchlorate Exposure and Its Effects on Daphnia magna Morphology, Hemoglobin Expression, and Lipid Metabolism
Ashlynn Sutton	Alison Gardell	TBIOMD 495	Perchlorate Exposure and Its Effects on Daphnia magna Morphology, Hemoglobin Expression, and Lipid Metabolism
Immashiya Ashenmini Tanko	Tawanda Chivese	TBIOMD 495	Unseen and Undiagnosed - Diagnostic Accuracy of HbA1c for Screening for Diabetes in Africa

Environmental Sciences

Student Name	Mentor	Capstone course	Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract)
Devin Garrity Anderson	Eliza Heery	TESC 495	Changes of the morphology of turf algae along urban gradients
Archer Boday	Jim Gawel	TESC 495	A Spatial and Temporal Analysis of New Zealand Mudsnails Feeding on Aquatic Vegetation in Spirit Lake, Mt St Helens National Volcanic Monument
Peyton Cooper	Matthew Kelley	TGIS 415	Application of Spatial Climate Scenarios to Pierce County
Cole Mercer Crosbie	EC Cline	TESC 495	Augering and Forest Edge Effects on the Growth of Pseudotsuga menziesii
Michael Robert Francis Dorner	Mark Pagano, Ruben Casas	TESC 301	Establishing an Urban Micro-Forest & Prairie at UWT
Shelby Grover	Alison Gardell	TESC 499	Octopus Paralarvae Study in the Central-South Puget Sound
Anthony-Michael Helton	Julie Masura	TESC 495	2025 Analysis of Particle Size and Total Organic Content of Bed Sediments in Elliott Bay, Puget Sound, WA
Lauren Jackson	Peter Selkin	TESC 499	Glacier to Bay Sediment Analysis; Identifying Lahar, Interglacial and Glacial Sediment Deposits Along the Puyallup Watershed System
Kristian John Kindschy	Morgan Heinz	TESC 499	Documenting the Value of Urban Trees: UW Tacoma Tree Inventory, Map, and Ecosystem Services Analysis
Katrina Lester	Peter Selkin	TESC 499	Follow the Flow: Linking Iron Oxide Signatures in the Puyallup Watershed to Sediment Sources
Kayla N Mitchell	Julie Howe	N/A	Does Soil Structure Matter? Aggregation Effects on Nutrient Fate Across Costa Rican Land Uses
Nghi Phan	Julie Masura	TESC 495, 499	2024 Analysis of Alexandrium Cysts in Bed Sediments of Bellingham Bay in Puget Sound, WA
Vernon S Reed	Cheryl Greengrove	TESC 499	Herbert Inlet Clayoquot Sound Phytoplankton and Water Properties 2014-2024 Comparison
Angel Sandoval Esquivel	Jim Gawel	TESC 499	Distribution of the Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail in Sediments of Spirit Lake, Mount St. Helens, with Comparison to Vegetation Abundance
Mata Seck	Eliza Heery	TESC 495	Does Adding Brown Algae (Sargassum muticum) Affect the Porosity in Concrete?
Hannah Seerden	Sarah Alaei	TESC 499	Arsenic Bioaccumulation and its Effect on the Microbiome and Behavior of Juvenile Chinese Mystery Snails
Dennis Suprunyuk	Peter Selkin	TESC 499, TGIS 415	Soil Erosion Modeling in the Puyallup-White River Watershed: A GIS and RUSLE Approach
Mahala Vendoloski	Erik McDonald	TESC 499	Deadly Waters: A Survey of Pre-Spawn Mortality in Coho Salmon

Environmental Sustainability

Student Name	Mentor	Capstone course	Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract)
Olivia Hamilton	Tomas Koontz	TEST 495	How Meeting Time is Spent in New Zealand Watershed Collaboration Groups Over Time
Sarah Nelligan	Tomas Koontz	TEST 495	Kiwi Science: An Investigation into New Zealand's Use of Science in Water Council Meetings and Results
Bryce Scholten	Tomas Koontz	TEST 495	Indigenous Involvement in New Zealand’s Environmental Policy Decisions
Heba Qatrani	Tomas Koontz	TEST 495	Indigenous Involvement in New Zealand’s Environmental Policy Decisions
Christopher Daniels	Tomas Koontz		An Investigation into New Zealand's Use of Science in Water Council Meetings and Results
Jonathan David	Tomas Koontz	TEST 495	How Meeting Time Is Spent in New Zealand Watershed Collaboration Groups Over Time