{"id":110653,"date":"2026-07-28T13:08:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110653"},"modified":"2026-07-28T13:08:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T17:08:55","slug":"umws-summer-science-institute-showcases-student-discovery-from-lab-to-lectern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/28\/umws-summer-science-institute-showcases-student-discovery-from-lab-to-lectern\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW\u2019s Summer Science Institute Showcases Student Discovery From Lab to Lectern"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">UMW&rsquo;s Summer Science Institute Showcases Student Discovery From Lab to Lectern<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-07-28T13:08:51-04:00\">July 28, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Sarah Hertz Mahoney<\/div><\/div><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One by one, University of Mary Washington students stepped to the podium or stood beside posters, ready to present the results of 10 weeks of intensive research to faculty, classmates and judges. As the symposium progressed, students grew increasingly confident, discussing their findings and fielding questions like seasoned researchers.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now in its 27th year, the Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute gives UMW undergraduates the opportunity to immerse themselves in scientific inquiry under the guidance of faculty mentors. This year&rsquo;s culminating symposium, held at the University&rsquo;s Hurley Convergence Center, showcased research on topics ranging from breast cancer therapies and artificial intelligence to quantum computing, environmental contamination, climate reconstruction, dark matter, invasive species, sustainable chemistry and public health.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, 33 students representing seven STEM disciplines participated in the Institute. They received full funding, including housing, meal plans and a stipend, allowing them to focus entirely on research. Their projects took them from campus laboratories to field sites in Florida, Charlottesville and along the Potomac River.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;The quality of the presentations, especially the oral presentations, was very high this year,&rdquo; said Elizabeth Lewis, director of undergraduate research and professor of Spanish, who also directs UMW&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/rcc\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/rcc\/\">Research and Creativity Collaborative<\/a>. &ldquo;The students were very engaged and supportive of each other.&rdquo;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor of Chemistry Randall Reif, who directs the <a href=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/rcc\/summer-institutes\/summer-science-institute\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/rcc\/summer-institutes\/summer-science-institute\/\">Summer Science Institute (SSI)<\/a>, echoed that sentiment, saying, &ldquo;There was an added focus on social programming this year that I believe truly paid off. We saw friendships develop and the sharing of ideas across departments, disciplines, and buildings. This was inspiring to see happen.&rdquo;<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110665\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5489\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1596\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784741372\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"400\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.025\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Award-winning student researchers and faculty mentors gathered following the University of Mary Washington&amp;#8217;s Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute symposium. From left: Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Cirino, second-place oral presentation winner&lt;br \/&gt;\nEvie Gaffney &lsquo;27, second-place poster presentation winner Rylan Neal &lsquo;29, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss, first-place oral presentation winner Abby Powers &lsquo;27, first-place poster presentation winner Hayden George &rsquo;27, and Professor of Chemistry Nicole Crowder.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364-1024x638.jpeg\" data-id=\"110665\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Award-winning student researchers and faculty mentors\" class=\"wp-image-110665\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110662\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5473\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784720709\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior Abby Powers gives her first-place oral presentation, which examined how a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 affects blood vessel stability.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110662\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Senior Abby Powers giving her first-place oral presentation\" class=\"wp-image-110662\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110660\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5466\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784715001\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"64\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW&rsquo;s SSI participants get valuable oral presentation skills as they explain their findings and field questions on their research projects at the Institute&amp;#8217;s culminating symposium.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-768x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Students stand in front of posters to explain their findings\" class=\"wp-image-110660\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110663\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5477\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784727908\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior Evie Gaffney gives her second-place oral presentation, which investigated the reproductive development of spotted lanternflies.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110663\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Senior Evie Gaffney giving her second-place oral presentation\" class=\"wp-image-110663\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110654\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780603064\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"42\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin performs research in the tissue culture laboratory at UMW&rsquo;s Jepson Science Center; she is planning to attend dental school after graduation from UMW.  &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Brooke Martin performs research in a laboratory at UMW in Jepson Science Center\" class=\"wp-image-110654\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110656\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8045,5366\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780606660\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"39\",\"iso\":\"160\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Junior physics and biomedical sciences double major Jenna Robertson studied how the concentration of red blood cells affects the flow and elasticity of blood.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Junior Jenna Robertson conducts research as a part of 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110656\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110658\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780609301\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"38\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0015625\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Junior geospatial analysis and chemistry double major Austin Allen researched ways to improve 3D-printed catalysts that could make chemical manufacturing more efficient and sustainable.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Junior Austin Allen researches during 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110658\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110665\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5489\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1596\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784741372\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"400\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.025\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Award-winning student researchers and faculty mentors gathered following the University of Mary Washington&amp;#8217;s Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute symposium. From left: Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Cirino, second-place oral presentation winner&lt;br \/&gt;\nEvie Gaffney &lsquo;27, second-place poster presentation winner Rylan Neal &lsquo;29, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss, first-place oral presentation winner Abby Powers &lsquo;27, first-place poster presentation winner Hayden George &rsquo;27, and Professor of Chemistry Nicole Crowder.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364-1024x638.jpeg\" data-id=\"110665\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5489-scaled-e1785254629364-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Award-winning student researchers and faculty mentors\" class=\"wp-image-110665\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110662\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5473\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784720709\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior Abby Powers gives her first-place oral presentation, which examined how a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 affects blood vessel stability.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110662\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5473-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Senior Abby Powers giving her first-place oral presentation\" class=\"wp-image-110662\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110660\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5466\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784715001\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"64\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW&rsquo;s SSI participants get valuable oral presentation skills as they explain their findings and field questions on their research projects at the Institute&amp;#8217;s culminating symposium.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-768x1024.jpeg\" data-id=\"110660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5466-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Students stand in front of posters to explain their findings\" class=\"wp-image-110660\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110663\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5477\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784727908\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior Evie Gaffney gives her second-place oral presentation, which investigated the reproductive development of spotted lanternflies.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110663\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5477-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Senior Evie Gaffney giving her second-place oral presentation\" class=\"wp-image-110663\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110654\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780603064\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"42\",\"iso\":\"200\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin performs research in the tissue culture laboratory at UMW&rsquo;s Jepson Science Center; she is planning to attend dental school after graduation from UMW.  &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110654\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1532-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Brooke Martin performs research in a laboratory at UMW in Jepson Science Center\" class=\"wp-image-110654\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 5 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110656\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8045,5366\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780606660\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"39\",\"iso\":\"160\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Junior physics and biomedical sciences double major Jenna Robertson studied how the concentration of red blood cells affects the flow and elasticity of blood.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110656\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1813-Edit-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Junior Jenna Robertson conducts research as a part of 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110656\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 6 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110658\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780609301\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"38\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0015625\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Junior geospatial analysis and chemistry double major Austin Allen researched ways to improve 3D-printed catalysts that could make chemical manufacturing more efficient and sustainable.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1989-Edit-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Junior Austin Allen researches during 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110658\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Award-winning student researchers and faculty mentors gathered following the University of Mary Washington&rsquo;s Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute symposium. From left: Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Cirino, second-place oral presentation winner<br>Evie Gaffney &lsquo;27, second-place poster presentation winner Rylan Neal &lsquo;29, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss, first-place oral presentation winner Abby Powers &lsquo;27, first-place poster presentation winner Hayden George &rsquo;27, and Professor of Chemistry Nicole Crowder.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior Abby Powers gives her first-place oral presentation, which examined how a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 affects blood vessel stability.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UMW&rsquo;s SSI participants get valuable oral presentation skills as they explain their findings and field questions on their research projects at the Institute&rsquo;s culminating symposium.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior Evie Gaffney gives her second-place oral presentation, which investigated the reproductive development of spotted lanternflies.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin performs research in the tissue culture laboratory at UMW&rsquo;s Jepson Science Center; she is planning to attend dental school after graduation from UMW.  <\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Junior physics and biomedical sciences double major Jenna Robertson studied how the concentration of red blood cells affects the flow and elasticity of blood.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Junior geospatial analysis and chemistry double major Austin Allen researched ways to improve 3D-printed catalysts that could make chemical manufacturing more efficient and sustainable.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senior ACS-certified chemistry major Hayden George, who worked with faculty mentor Professor of Chemistry Nicole Crowder, said the collaborative environment became one of the most rewarding parts of the summer.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&ldquo;Although we all had different projects, being able to work near people who were equally passionate made the whole experience worthwhile,&rdquo; said George, whose first-place poster explored developing new chemical systems that could convert captured carbon dioxide into useful products such as green fuels.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also recognized was senior Abby Powers&rsquo; first-place oral presentation, which examined how a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 affects blood vessel stability. Working with Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss, Powers developed laboratory methods that could help researchers better understand the disease and its impact on blood vessel formation.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A biomedical sciences major pursuing a minor in practical ethics, Powers said one of the biggest surprises of the summer wasn&rsquo;t what she learned in the lab, but how much she enjoyed mentoring and teaching newer undergraduate researchers, an experience that sparked an interest in pursuing a career in education.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second-place oral presentation winner Evie Gaffney, a senior biology major, working with Assistant Professor of Biology Lauren Cirino, investigated the reproductive development of spotted lanternflies, an invasive insect that threatens vineyards, orchards and other crops. By determining when the insects reach sexual maturity, her research could help inform future strategies for controlling their spread.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gaffney said the most rewarding part of the experience was seeing each discovery lead to new questions. &ldquo;Every finding revealed a new avenue worth exploring in the future,&rdquo; she said.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second-place poster winner Rylan Neal, who also worked with Morriss, studied how Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 alters cellular signaling involved in muscle growth and blood vessel formation. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect how much I&rsquo;d enjoy troubleshooting,&rdquo; said the sophomore biomedical sciences major. &ldquo;When a protocol didn&rsquo;t work, I found myself digging through studies trying to figure out why, and that process ended up being one of the parts of research I liked most.&rdquo;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those challenges became one of the greatest rewards of his SSI experience. &ldquo;There were many moments where experiments failed or protocols didn&rsquo;t work as expected, and I had to push through the frustration instead of giving up,&rdquo; Neal said. &ldquo;Looking back, I can see how much more confident and capable I became just by working through those setbacks.&rdquo;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reif said these experiences are central to what makes the Institute unique. &ldquo;SSI is a great place to learn vital skills beyond content knowledge,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The symposium showed that these students made tremendous strides in oral communication. The talks and poster presentations really showcased those skills.&rdquo;<\/p><section class=\"image-gallery layout__block\">\n\t<div class=\"image-gallery__inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__main__track\" js-slideshow-track=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110664\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5485\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784740391\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"80\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW students and faculty mentors participating in the 2026 Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute pose at the symposium, which was the culmination of 10 weeks of hands-on summer research and discovery.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Group photo of UMW students and faculty mentors participating in the 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110664\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110659\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5464\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784714961\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The UMW community views poster presentations at the 2026 symposium, named for Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59, whose gift of more than $30 million to Mary Washington ensures continued undergraduate STEM research opportunities.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110659\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Overhead look at posters from the 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110659\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110661\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5469\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784715319\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Summer Science Institute booklets are available to all symposium attendees and include abstracts for all 33 student projects conducted over the summer under the guidance of faculty mentors.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110661\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"Booklets on a table at the symposium\" class=\"wp-image-110661\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110666\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5495\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1915,1358\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784741410\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0333333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss poses with student researchers, Rylan Neal &lsquo;29 (left) and Abby Powers &lsquo;27 (right), who she mentored for research projects involving a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695-1024x726.jpeg\" data-id=\"110666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695-1131x772.jpeg\" alt=\"UMW Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss poses with student researchers, Rylan Neal &lsquo;29 and Abby Powers &lsquo;27\" class=\"wp-image-110666\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110657\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780608353\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"37\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior chemistry major Morgan Stubbs investigated ways to improve 3D-printed materials that can remove pollutants from water more efficiently.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Morgan Stubbs conducts research as part of 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110657\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__slide\" js-slide=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-main\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"772\" data-attachment-id=\"110655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780604259\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"44\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.01\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin studied how combining nutrient restriction with chemotherapy may help the immune system better recognize and attack aggressive breast cancer cells.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110655\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736-1131x772.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Brooke Martin looks through a microscope during 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110655\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--previous\" aria-label=\"Previous\" js-prev>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M18.5 12H6M6 12L12 6M6 12L12 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__nav image-gallery__nav--next\" aria-label=\"Next\" js-next>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M6 12H18.5M18.5 12L12.5 6M18.5 12L12.5 18\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\r\n<\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails\" js-thumbnails-container=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnails__track\" js-thumbnail-track>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 0 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110664\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5485\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784740391\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"80\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW students and faculty mentors participating in the 2026 Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute pose at the symposium, which was the culmination of 10 weeks of hands-on summer research and discovery.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5485-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Group photo of UMW students and faculty mentors participating in the 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110664\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 1 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110659\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5464\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784714961\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.00833333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The UMW community views poster presentations at the 2026 symposium, named for Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59, whose gift of more than $30 million to Mary Washington ensures continued undergraduate STEM research opportunities.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110659\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5464-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Overhead look at posters from the 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110659\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 2 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110661\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5469\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.2\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784715319\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"2.22000002861\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0166666666667\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Summer Science Institute booklets are available to all symposium attendees and include abstracts for all 33 student projects conducted over the summer under the guidance of faculty mentors.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-1024x768.jpeg\" data-id=\"110661\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5469-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"Booklets on a table at the symposium\" class=\"wp-image-110661\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 3 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110666\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/img_5495\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1915,1358\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.6\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"iPhone 16\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1784741410\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.96000003815\",\"iso\":\"250\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.0333333333333\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss poses with student researchers, Rylan Neal &lsquo;29 (left) and Abby Powers &lsquo;27 (right), who she mentored for research projects involving a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695-1024x726.jpeg\" data-id=\"110666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/IMG_5495-scaled-e1785256092695-224x116.jpeg\" alt=\"UMW Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss poses with student researchers, Rylan Neal &lsquo;29 and Abby Powers &lsquo;27\" class=\"wp-image-110666\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 4 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110657\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780608353\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"37\",\"iso\":\"320\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.008\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior chemistry major Morgan Stubbs investigated ways to improve 3D-printed materials that can remove pollutants from water more efficiently.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1914-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Morgan Stubbs conducts research as part of 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110657\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail\" aria-label=\"Slide 5 thumbnail\" js-thumbnail>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__slideshow__thumbnail__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-umw-gallery-thumb\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"116\" data-attachment-id=\"110655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/chemistry-summer-internship-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"2.5\",\"credit\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce\",\"camera\":\"Canon EOS R5\",\"caption\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1780604259\",\"copyright\":\"Parker Michels-Boyce Photography\",\"focal_length\":\"44\",\"iso\":\"640\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.01\",\"title\":\"Chemistry summer internship\",\"orientation\":\"0\",\"alt\":\"\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin studied how combining nutrient restriction with chemotherapy may help the immune system better recognize and attack aggressive breast cancer cells.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736-1024x683.jpg\" data-id=\"110655\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/07\/260604_umw_summer_internships-1736-224x116.jpg\" alt=\"Senior Brooke Martin looks through a microscope during 2026 Summer Science Institute\" class=\"wp-image-110655\"><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__pager__section\" js-page><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description-container\" js-description-container>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UMW students and faculty mentors participating in the 2026 Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59 Summer Science Institute pose at the symposium, which was the culmination of 10 weeks of hands-on summer research and discovery.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The UMW community views poster presentations at the 2026 symposium, named for Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59, whose gift of more than $30 million to Mary Washington ensures continued undergraduate STEM research opportunities.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Summer Science Institute booklets are available to all symposium attendees and include abstracts for all 33 student projects conducted over the summer under the guidance of faculty mentors.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UMW Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Ginny Morriss poses with student researchers, Rylan Neal &lsquo;29 (left) and Abby Powers &lsquo;27 (right), who she mentored for research projects involving a genetic disorder called Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior chemistry major Morgan Stubbs investigated ways to improve 3D-printed materials that can remove pollutants from water more efficiently.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t                    \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-gallery__description\" js-description>\n                                                                        <div class=\"image-gallery__description__summary\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senior biomedical sciences major Brooke Martin studied how combining nutrient restriction with chemotherapy may help the immune system better recognize and attack aggressive breast cancer cells.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n                        \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the conclusion of the symposium, judges recognized outstanding oral and poster presentations with scholarships from the <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/blog\/2022\/09\/27\/why-i-give-jerri-barden-perkins-61\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/giving.umw.edu\/blog\/2022\/09\/27\/why-i-give-jerri-barden-perkins-61\/\">John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins &rsquo;61 Student Research Endowment<\/a>.<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Oral Presentation Awards<\/strong><br>&bull; First Place: Abby Powers, Optimizing an Endothelial and Myotube Co-Culture Model to Assess the Effect of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 on Vascular Stability (Faculty Advisor: Ginny Morriss)<br>&bull; Second Place: Evie Gaffney, Sexual Maturity and Gonad Development in Spotted Lanternflies (Faculty Advisor: Lauren Cirino)<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Poster Presentation Awards<\/strong><br>&bull; First Place: Hayden George, Copper Three Ways: Surface-Bound Electrocatalytic System for Carbon Dioxide Reduction (Faculty Advisor: Nicole Crowder)<br>&bull; Second Place: Rylan Neal, Quantification of PDGFR&beta; and PDGFB Expression in a Human Muscle Model of Myotonic Dystrophy (Faculty Advisor: Ginny Morriss)<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since its founding nearly three decades ago, the Summer Science Institute has incorporated an array of new disciplines and given over 500 students the chance to conduct undergraduate research on campus and in the field. In 2024, it was renamed to honor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/03\/09\/umw-receives-transformational-30-million-gift-for-undergraduate-research-and-scholarships\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2023\/03\/09\/umw-receives-transformational-30-million-gift-for-undergraduate-research-and-scholarships\/\">Irene Piscopo Rodgers &rsquo;59, whose gift of more than $30 million<\/a> to the University helps ensure the continued growth of undergraduate STEM research opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byOne by one, University of Mary Washington students stepped to the podium or stood beside posters, ready to present the results of 10 weeks of intensive research to faculty, classmates and judges. As the symposium progressed, students grew increasingly confident, discussing their findings and fielding questions like seasoned researchers.Now in its 27th year, the Irene [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5200,"featured_media":110675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[14967,14924,12002,14612,10234,12000,15150,15604,15029,14954,7641,14611],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-110653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-stories","tag-department-of-biological-science","tag-department-of-chemistry-and-physics","tag-department-of-computer-science","tag-department-of-earth-and-environmental-science","tag-department-of-geography","tag-department-of-mathematics","tag-irene-piscopo-rodgers","tag-research-and-creativity-collaborative","tag-stem","tag-student-research","tag-summer-science-institute","tag-summer-science-symposium","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW\u2019s Summer Science Institute Showcases Student Discovery From Lab to Lectern - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/28\/umws-summer-science-institute-showcases-student-discovery-from-lab-to-lectern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW\u2019s Summer Science Institute Showcases Student Discovery From Lab to Lectern\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byOne by one, University of Mary Washington students stepped to the podium or stood beside posters, ready to present the results of 10 weeks of intensive research to faculty, classmates and judges. 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