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2025 Summer SAMURS will be held on
Friday, August 22 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in TPS Ground Floor
Welcome to the Sciences and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium!
The University of Washington Tacoma Environmental Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sustainability, and Mathematics majors host an Environmental Research Symposium, Sciences and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Symposium (SAMURS). This event showcases the capstone research projects of our undergraduate students. The presentations by our undergraduate students, cover a broad range of questions and projects related to the environment, mathematics, sustainability and much more. Projects are conducted in the lab, in the trees, in the mud, in the classroom, at an aquarium, on the water, underwater and on land. Some are original research with a faculty mentor, pushing the boundaries of what is known in their fields. Others participate in internships, where they help community partners further their missions through service. What all these diverse students have in common is the determination and dedication to complete an independent study as part of their undergraduate education. We hope you are inspired and educated by what they have accomplished.
Students presenting at Summer 2025 SAMURS can use Student Submission Portal (CLICK HERE).
Future SAMURS Dates (subject to change):
- Fall 2025: December 12th; LOCATION TBA
- Spring 2026: June 11th at MLG 110
- Summer 2026: August 21st at MLG 110
SAMURS Archives
Each year, SAM posts the results of our student work. Within the SAMURS Archives you can find a variety of research that our students and faculty have engaged in throughout the years in the Puget Sound and beyond.
DONATE
Secord Environmental Excellence Operating Account that supports UW Tacoma Sciences and Mathematics student initiatives
Summer 2025 - Abstracts and Posters
| Student Name | Mentor | Capstone course | Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract) | Photo and Poster (click on photo for poster) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ Adams | EC Cline | TBIOMD 492 | Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants of Asthma Disparities in Children |  |
| Ariele Barton | Jack Vincent | TBIOMD 495 | Designing a CRISPR-Cas9 system for site specific mutagenesis of the Dsn1 protein in S. cerevisiae |  |
| Ishant Brar | Hannah Baughman | TBIOMD 495 | A successful purification scheme of Plasmodium Bem46-Like Protein and a demonstration of its hydrolase activity |  |
| Evelyn Bryan | Hannah Baughman | TBIOMD 495 | Expression, Purification, and Hydrolase Characterization of PBLP, a Protein from the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium yoelii |  |
| Ryan Capindo | Hannah Baughman | TBIOMD 495 | From Isolation to Function: Investigating a Novel Enzyme in Plasmodium yoelii |  |
| Tyler Cook | Morgan Heinz | TBIOMD 496 | Stability and Reconstitution Testing of Investigational Syphilis Vaccine Adjuvant |  |
| Gregory Esters | Leighann Chaffee | TPSYCH 498 | Evaluating IVF Abroad in Prague |  |
| Lavrielle Gueriba | Saumya Sankaran | TBIOMD 495 | Centralizing Milk Preparation Process in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph Medical Center |  |
| Cayla Hayes | EC Cline | TBIOMD 492 | The Role of Notch3 and Wnt Signaling Pathways in Ovarian Cancer Chemoresistance and their Potential as Therapeutic Targets |  |
| Tae Kim | Anna Groat-Carmona | TBIOMD 495 | Mutagenesis of Putative RNA Sequence Elements with the Dengue Virus Genome |  |
| Kimberly Ling | Joan Bleecker | TBIOMD 492 | What are the most reliable and valid methods for assessing the severity and improvement of atrophic scars in clinical and research settings? |  |
| Siwen O'Brien | EC Cline | TBIOMD 492 | Optimizing Patent Foramen Ovale Detection Through a Multimodal Approach |  |
| Hanna Powell | Jack Vincent | TBIOMD 496 | Preserving Bacterial Viability in Human Urine: Phosphate Buffer as an Alternative to refrigeration and Boric Acid |  |
| Derek Richards | Hannah Baughman | TBIOMD 495 | Developing an Experimental Protocol for Purification of a Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Yoelii Hydrolase Protein |  |
| Alexander Saltos | Joyce Dinglasan-Panlilio | TBIOMD 499 | Method Validation of PFAS extraction from shellfish tissue |  |
| Sofiya Veeder Dunajski | Jack Vincent | TBIOMD 495 | CRISPR Mutagenesis of Phosphorylation Sites T380/T386 in Dsn1 Protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae | 
|
| Student Name | Mentor | Capstone course | Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract) | Photo and Poster (click on photo for poster) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaki Farah | Julie Masura | TESC 495 | 2025 Analysis of Alexandrium Cyst Abundance in the Budd inlet: Correlations to depth and Potential Implications for Human Health | |
| Cameron Gehrke | Julie Masura | TESC 496 | Internship to Determine the Source of Toxicity in Effluent at a Pulp Mill in Western Washington |  |
| Sitara McMillin | Julie Masura | TESC 495 | 2025 Analysis of Alexandrium Cyst Abundance in the Budd inlet: Correlations to depth and Potential Implications for Human Health |  |
| Iyesha Narayan | Julie Masura | TESC 499 | Concentration of Chlorophyll in 2018 Bed Sediments from the Salish Sea |  |
| Tom Nguyen | Eliza Heery | TESC 495 | Tracking Trends in Urban Ecology: A Comparative Review of Marine, Terrestrial, and Freshwater Systems |  |
| Simon Shipp | Julie Masura | TESC 495 | 2024 Analysis of Chlorophyll in Bed Sediments within Bellingham Bay in Puget Sound, WA |  |
| Tarl Spencer | Julie Masura | TESC 495 | 2024 Analysis of Chlorophyll in Bed Sediments within Bellingham Bay in Puget Sound, WA |  |
| Kelsey Stewart | EC Cline | TESC 494 | Species Occurrences of Native Western Gray Squirrels and Invasive Eastern Gray Squirrels on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State |  |
| Student Name | Mentor | Capstone course | Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract) | Photo and Poster (click on photo for poster) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Name | Mentor | Capstone course | Title and Abstract (click on title for abstract) | Photo and Poster (click on photo for poster) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
