by Whitney Harder

(Dec. 18, 2014) — Thirteen University of Kentucky students took home top honors at the Kentucky Academy of Science 100th Annual Meeting in November, where hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from Kentucky colleges and universities participated in research competitions.

Winners included graduate and undergraduates from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences, Gatton College of Business and Economics, College of Health Sciences and College of Public Health.

Graduate oral presentations:

• Congming Zou, a doctoral candidate in soil science from Chongqing, China, won first place in agricultural sciences;
• William Witt, a graduate student in public health from Lexington, won first place in anthropology and sociology;
• Xinyi Zhang, a doctoral candidate in chemistry from Beijing, China, won second place in cellular and molecular biology;
• Zhaoshuai Wang, a doctoral candidate in chemistry from Tianjin, China, won third place in cellular and molecular biology;
• Trenede M. Garrison, a doctoral candidate in geological sciences from Lexington, won second place in geology;
• Qian Chai, a graduate student in chemistry from Lexington, won first place in physiology and biochemistry; and
• Yuechen Zhu, doctoral candidate in biology from Suzhou, China, won third place in physiology and biochemistry.

Undergraduate oral presentations:

• Heidi Vollrath, a Global Scholar and management senior from De Pere, Wisconsin, won first place in anthropology and sociology;
• Kelly Snowden, a human health sciences junior from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, won second place in anthropology and sociology;
• Holden Hemingway, a biology sophomore with a minor in psychology from Tiffin, Ohio, won third place in anthropology and sociology;
• Michael Bale, a chemistry and physics senior with a minor in mathematics from Dayton, Ohio, won second place in cellular and molecular biology; and
• Jerrad Grider, a geological sciences senior from Jamestown, Kentucky, won second place in geology.

Undergraduate poster presentations:

• Samuel Potter, a member of the Honors Program and agricultural biotechnology and biology senior with a minor in neuroscience, from Pikeville, Kentucky, won third place in science education.

More than 800 scientists and students attended the centennial meeting. In addition to student presentations, attendees also had the opportunity to hear from UK professors Jim Krupa, biology, and Jerzy W. Jaromczyk, computer science. Kristen McQuerry, project manager for the Applied Statistics Lab and student in the Department of Statistics doctoral program, Neil Moore, a bioinformatician in the Department of Computer Science, and former UK President Lee Todd Jr. also spoke at the event.

The Kentucky Academy of Science encourages scientific research, promotes the diffusion of scientific knowledge and unifies the scientific interests of the Commonwealth. Faculty, staff and students of the University of Kentucky may become members of the Kentucky Academy of Science at no cost, thanks to University of Kentucky’s Enhanced Affiliate membership.