2020 IMSAloquium Student Investigation Showcase

Welcome to IMSAloquium 2020. This is IMSA’s 33rd year of leading in educational innovation, and the 32nd year of the IMSA Student Inquiry and Research (SIR) Program. With the worldwide challenge of COVID-19 facing all of us, the format of IMSAloquium has changed out of necessity. Projects will be presented concurrently in virtual “rooms” over the course of three morning sessions. We have regrettably omitted the poster session this year; it will return. Despite the challenges and changes to the program brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, it reminds us all of the importance of research as the world works to move in a positive direction in terms of good health and well-being, zero hunger, clean water and sanitation; the very things embodied in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is heartening to know that research is what IMSAloquium is all about.

Within this booklet, you will find a collection of abstracts from outstanding student projects. The topics range from biomedical research, chemistry and physics to mathematics to the social sciences, among others. Our students have worked hard on their projects, some individually, some in groups, and today is the day for them to display their hard work.

Many of our students have worked with mentors off campus at leading universities and research laboratories. Other students have worked with IMSA faculty on campus. In addition, this is the first year ever that on campus SIR courses were held, and the work from those courses is represented at IMSAloquium. The SIR team would very much like to thank both our off-campus and on-campus mentors and teachers for their outstanding work with our students. The IMSA SIR program could not exist were it not for all of the mentors and teachers working with and advising our students.

In addition to thanking the mentors and SIR teachers, we wish to thank all IMSA faculty and staff who helped support the SIR program throughout the year, and their assistance with coordinating and hosting this year’s IMSAloquium. We would like to especially acknowledge the work of Bill McGrail, Kevin Broy and Jean Bigger in assisting with setting up our virtual Zoom classrooms (Bill and Kevin) and displaying student work in Digital Commons (Jean).

We hope you enjoy your morning and find it to be a rewarding and educational experience!

Sincerely,

IMSA SIR Program Team
Cathleen Cunz
Dave DeVol, Ph.D
Don Dosch, Ph.D.
Eric Smith, Ph.D.

IMSA Principal
Robert Hernandez, Ed.D.

IMSA President
José M. Torres, Ph.D.