On February 24-25, 2025, two SMCC Biology students and two Mathematics students presented their posters at the 18th Annual Western Alliance to
Expand Student Opportunities (WAESO) Student Research Conference held at ASU’s Tempe campus. Theresa Morales’ poster was titled “Analysis of coliform bacteria in irrigation water, soil and lettuce from community farms” and Saul Lopez’s presentation was on “Metabarcoding analysis of microbiome in lettuce from community farms”. Both students won Honorable mention awards for their respective posters at the conference and will each receive a certificate of recognition and a $50 stipend.along with the $1000 they received as part of their WAESO grant.
At the conference, they were accompanied by Biology faculty Dr. Sudipta Biswas, who served as a judge for the poster presentations, and Biology Lab coordinator Ted Ransome, who participated as one of the panelists in a panel discussion on Transitioning from a community college to a 4-year institution.
Math students Augustine Lopez and Mark Molina also attended and presented. SMCC Mathematics faculty Dr. Bechir Amdouni received a WAESO grant, and each of them was awarded $1,000. The same grant again this spring, allowing the team to continue our work together, with each student receiving another $1,000.