Biology Day showcases research projects conducted by undergraduate students in the Department of Biology. Taking inspiration from previous years, we are excited to make the Fall Biology Day always virtual and the Spring Biology Day always in-person. This allows us to expand our geographic reach in the Fall while fostering community in the Spring. Current, Prospective, and Former Students are invited, along with the general public, family, faculty, and staff!
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Time: 9:00 am – 1:30 pm (lunch will be served)
Location: Rutgers Camden Campus (map)
Important Dates
Friday, April 17, 2026 – Abstract Submission DeadlineMonday, April 20, 2026 – Abstract Decisions Sent Out- Monday, April 27, 2026 – Registration Closes
- Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Biology Day
Getting there
- Public Transit: The Camden Campus Center is within a short walking distance to the City Hall stop on the Patco and the Cooper Street stop on the Riverline trains.
- Parking: Guests can register their vehicles for parking using THIS FORM. This will provide parking in Lots C1, C2, C3, C14, City lot 15 or City Lot 16 without permits (parking map). Buses should drop off and park in City lot 15 or City lot 16.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
Rutgers Camden students engaged in biology-related research within a lab or classroom have the opportunity to present their work. To be considered for this opportunity, students MUST register and submit their details below by the above deadline. Decisions on which abstracts are accepted will be sent out by Monday.
Students submitting group presentations (i.e., those in PPBR or other course-based research experiences) should have only one person within their group submit their abstract details. However, ALL students in that group should register so we get an accurate representation of participants for the lunch order. Graduating seniors enrolled in Honors Thesis can select whether they would like to present their research as a talk instead of a poster.
Poster Printing Guidelines
- Poster templates and printing guidelines can be found HERE. We recommend the 36 x 48 inch landscape formatting. The Department of Biology will pay for your poster printing fees (indicate this on the submission portal). It is recommended to send your poster to print no later than the Monday before the event because there can be delays with printing (printing can take 48 or more hours).
- Strategies for presenting your poster can be found HERE.
- Repository of virtual posters and recorded presentations can be found HERE.
- We use the judging rubric from the ABRCMS conference which can be found HERE.
- Dress code is whatever you are most comfortable in. However, most people who are presenting usually wear business casual.
Senior Thesis Talks
- You will have 8-10 minutes for your talk and 5-7 minutes for questions. We will keep to schedule, so please practice your talk timing. Dr. Fried will have a one-minute warning sign that he will lift in the back of the room to alert you at the 9-minute mark
- This size of a talk should be no longer than 5-10 slides. You have freedom to present how you wish, but we recommend having a clear introduction, hypothesis, results, data interpretation, conclusions, and thank you/acknowledgement slides.
- We will use the above ABRCMS rubric for judging.
- Your talk will be recorded and sent to you for sharing with your committee and/or others.
Tentative Agenda
8:30 am – 9:00 am: Poster Set-up & Arrivals
9:00 am – 9:15 am: Welcome Remarks (Science Lecture Hall)
9:15 am – 10:45 am: Senior Research Talks (Science Lecture Hall)
| Student Presenters (presenting in bold) | Title of Talk |
|---|---|
| Anh Ly (PI: Brian Corbett) | TBA |
|
Renuka Kumar |
TBA |
| Flynn Semenuk (PI: Eric Klein) | Elucidating the Functional Relationship Between Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) and Serine Palmitoyltransferase (SPT) in Bacterial Sphingolipid Biosynthesis |
|
Angel Keifner |
TBA |
|
Alan G Rozenblit (PI: Nir Yakoby) |
T-box Gene Midline Shows Conserved Patterning in Drosophila Oogenesis; Its Regulation Essential in Pupal Development |
|
Sophia LaPorta |
Understanding the Molecular Interactions and Physicochemical Properties of a Carbohydrate/Clay Bio-Skin |
10:45 am – 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am – 1:00 pm: Poster Sessions & Lunch (Raptor Roost in the Campus Center)
11:00 – 1:00: Lunch in Executive Meeting Room in the Campus Center
11:00 – 12:00: Poster Session A in the Raptor Roost in the Campus Center
| Location | Authors (presenting in bold) |
Title of Poster |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Ariana Santiago Ramirez, Udari Peiris, Angelica Gonzalez | Arthropod diversity through time: Building a photographic reference library of arthropods from rodent middens along a latitudinal gradient in the Atacama Desert |
| A2 | Tiffany Chan, Charlotte McLaughlin, Laura Bowen, Angela Rodriguez, Kavi Sutaria, Yohan Gil, and Tenioluwa Obakeye | Design and Evaluation of a Multi-Component Biopolymer Hydrogel Patch with Bentonite Clay Integration for Diabetic Wound Management |
| A3 | Myo Thinzar Htin Aung, Kwangwon Lee | Chemical and Sensory Contributions to Aspartame-Induced Circadian Modulation in Drosophila melanogaster |
| A4 | Lily Rivas, Nathan Fried | Electrophysiological Assessment of Flicker Fusion Frequency as an Early Biomarker of Alzheimer’s Disease in Drosophila |
| A5 | Karishma Ajaykumar Patel, Muhammad Arfan, Nikita Gulati, Lanae Johnson-Kleinpeter, Nasur Lambert | Exploring the Effects of Prazosin and Propranolol on Stress-Induced Neural Activation |
| A6 | Morgan Bartleson & Kwangwon Lee | High-Throughput Screening of Circadian Modulators Using FDA-Approved Small Molecules |
| A7 | Lucas Huntington, Xingyun Qi | Identification of T-DNA insertion triple mutant of CYP707A family in Arabidopsis thaliana |
| A8 | Aye Thinzar Htin Aung and Dr. Kwangwon Lee | Investigating the Role of Kinase stk-16 in Photoperiod- Dependent Developmental Rhythms of Neurospora Crassa |
| A9 | Tiffany Chan, Victoria C. Young, Susy C. Kohout | Knockout of the Voltage-sensing Phosphatase Causes an Increase Workload Capacity in Mice |
| A10 | Jacob N. Oblander, Casey E. Hojecki, Nicholas J. Tursi, Riya Sahai, Niklas Laenger, Martina Tomirotti, Mohammad Suhail Khan, Elizabeth M. Parzych, Jesper Pallesen, Ebony N. Gary, David B. Weiner | Plasmid-encoded native and novel incretin mimetics drive sustained metabolic control and enhance vaccine induced immunity in diet-induced obese mice |
| A11 | Zarah Bacchus, Brian Corbett | TBA |
| A12 | Kevin Bryan, Nathan Fried | Sweet Leaf: The Effects of Cannabidiol on TBI Induced Hyperalgesia in Drosophila melanogaster |
12:00 – 1:00: Poster Session B in the Raptor Roost in the Campus Center
| Location | Authors (presenting in bold) | Title of Poster |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | Jacqueline Tilly, Myo Thinzar Htin Aung, Allison Nguyen, Amisha Rastogi | Activation of Microglia in the Amygdala in Stressed Mice Promotes Anxiety in Mice |
| B2 | Sade Adeyemo, Mikaela Gittens, Ayanna-Isa Muhammad | ALAN effects on the growth ratio of drosophila melanogaster |
| B3* | Kevin Bryan, Sandra Tawadrous, Abigail Soriano, and Zarah Bacchus | Cannabidiol Effects on Induced Traumatic Brain Injury’s Sleep Fragmentation |
| B4 | Alexis Andricola, Rania Boukhalfa, Marzia Chidica, Christine Do, Renuka Kumar, Ari Santiago-Ramirez, Deepak Singh, Karan Singh, Madison Snelgrove, Liat Williams | Evolutionary dynamics of anole Atadenoviruses in South Florida |
| B5 | Gabriel Rubio, Deborah Ly, Caleb Holmes | Examining the relationship between nemuri, the mushroom bodies, and the immune system in Drosophila melanogaster |
| B6 | Winter Chrisman, Khanh Hoang | Investigating the Effects of Berberine on Tumor Growth in Drosophila Eye Cancer Model |
| B7 | Tiffany Chan | Manganese-Induced Locomotor Dysfunction Is Associated with Disrupted Motor Circuit Activity in Drosophila Larvae |
| B8 | Aleyda Kurt, Miray Yilmaz, Dominic Roberti | NaCl and pH Variation on LL-37 Peptide Against E.coli |
| B9 | Diane Tran, Gabby Milla, Layla Dankel | Nitrite and Microplastic Effects on Daphnia magna Reproduction, Sex, and Stress |
| B10 | Christine Do, Kristin Rising, Robin Casten | The Academic Associates Program at Thomas Jefferson University |
1:00 pm – 1:15 pm: Break
1:15 pm – 1:30 pm: Closing Remarks & Awards presentation
Research Presentation Prizes:
- TBA