A delegation of 25 students and six faculty members from Catawba College’s biology, chemistry and biochemistry, and environment and sustainability programs attended the meeting, held March 25-28 in Mobile, Alabama. The annual conference brings together students, faculty, and researchers from across the Southeast for scientific presentations, workshops, and professional networking.
Catawba’s Tau Eta chapter of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society was named District I Chapter of the Year and also received the award for Most Registered Delegates, reflecting both the strength and scale of the College’s participation.
The chapter’s faculty mentorship also was recognized when Dr. Erin Witalison was named District I Faculty Advisor of the Year. In addition, Dr. Carmony Hartwig’s leadership in the discipline was reflected through her current service as president of the National Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society.
Catawba students earned three top awards in the Johnson C. Johnson Award for Excellence in Poster Presentations:
- First place — Hailee Smith, Impact of Cortisol on the Chemotherapeutic Effectiveness of Cisplatin in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
Advised by Dr. Carmony Hartwig - First place — Luke Roberts, Examining the Diversity and Protective Functions of the Salamander Microbiota
Advised by Dr. Amanda Rushing - Third place — Charity Davies, Microbial Menagerie: Identification and Characterization of Probiotic Species from Kombucha
Advised by Dr. Erin Witalison
Catawba students also delivered an exceptional performance in the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Oral Presentation competition. Of the 11 oral presentations selected for awards consideration, every Catawba student presenter earned top honors:
- First place — Elias Barber, Scavenger Skincare: Black Vulture Facial Microbiomes in Wild and Human Environments
Advised by Dr. Erin Witalison - First place — McKenzie Peurifoy and Marit Reckmann, Investigating the Mechanistic Effect of Heme on Artemisinin-Induced Ferroptosis in a Cancer Cell Model
Advised by Dr. Carmony Hartwig - Second place — Laurel Keasler, Conferring Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Degrading Capabilities through Genetic Modification of Escherichia coli
Advised by Dr. Carmony Hartwig
For students, the conference provided meaningful opportunities for growth beyond the awards competition.
“Presenting my work at ASB gave me the chance to share my research with other scientists and students who are passionate about biology,” said Alyssa Wood, an environment and sustainability student who attended the conference. “It was exciting to see how much undergraduate research is valued in the scientific community.”
“The experience helped me grow as a scientist and as a communicator,” said Shiva Aryal, a biochemistry student who attended the conference and will enter the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the Medical University of South Carolina after graduating in May. “Seeing the diversity of research topics and meeting students from other institutions was incredibly inspiring.”
“These awards reflect the remarkable dedication of our students and the strength of faculty mentorship at Catawba College,” said Dr. Joe Poston, professor and chair of the Department of Biology. “To see this level of success on a regional stage speaks volumes about the quality of the scientific training and research opportunities our students receive.”
Catawba’s strong showing at the Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting reflects the College’s commitment to hands-on undergraduate research, close faculty-student collaboration, and experiential learning in the natural sciences.
