SES Research Symposium | Marine Biological Laboratory

The Marine Biological Laboratory's Semester in Environmental Science held their 28th annual Student Independent Research Symposium on December 12, 2025. Students who participated in the semester-long study abroad course presented the culmination of their independent research projects in 15-minute talks over the course of the morning. Watch the recording.

Schedule

9:00-9:15 Linda Hyman and Mirta Teichberg
Welcome and Introduction

9:15-9:30 Evelyn Mei Cowle- Rhodes College
Ascidians on natural and artificial substrates in Cape Cod, MA:
Evaluating relative abundance, distribution, and preferential settlement
Mentor: Mirta Teichberg

9:30-9:45 Rafael Beaudoin- University of Chicago
Green crab metabolism and behavior under heatwave-like conditions
Mentors: Mirta Teichberg and Jim McClelland

9:45-10:00 Juliana Fleischer- Wheaton College
Effects of manganese and zinc on Astrangia coral health
Mentors: Loretta Roberson and Mayra Sanchez Garcia

10:00-10:15 Laoise Nolan- Minerva University
Microplastic impacts on cnidarian tissue regeneration in Astrangia poculata and Nematostella vectensis
Mentors: Loretta Roberson, Karen Echeverri and Rut Pedrosa Pamies

10:15-10:45 Coffee Break

10:45-11:00 Uranzaya Ariunbold- Rhodes College
Effect of plasticized polyvinyl chloride microplastics (pPVC-MPs) exposed to different weathering simulations on rotifer fertility, health, behavior, and gene expression
Mentor: Kristin Gribble

11:00-11:15 Isadora Rowan- Bard College
Microplastic Abundance in Salt Marsh Sediments and their Effects on Chlorophyll Production
Mentors: Ivan Valiela, Rut Pedrosa Pamies, Kelsey Chenoweth

11:15-11:30 Helena Mandeville- University of Chicago
Integrating planar optodes and microscopy to reveal morphological controls on rhizosphere gas exchange in isoetids and sedges
Mentor: Ketil Koop-Jakobson

11:30-11:45 Barlow Herbst- Colby College
Effects of nitrogen fertilization on the genes of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in Spartina-associated rhizosphere
Mentors: Zoe Cardon, Biagio DiSalvo

11:45-12:00 Mirta Teichberg
SES retrospective