Cedar Crest College Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences Poster Presentations

The Cedar Crest College Department of Biological Sciences, and Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences is proud to acknowledge the accomplishments of its research programs. Nine Cedar Crest College students presented their data at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, April 17-19, 2026, with a total of nearly 139 presentations from 38 universities, colleges, and institutions (including a few high schools!), our nine posters and talks placed us near the top of the list for sponsoring institutions.

- Keira Davies (research advisor: Dr. Jeanne Berk) Comparison of the sensitivity of azo dyes as a replacement for beta-naphthol in the Modified Griess Test used in Forensic Science.

- Natalie Devine (research advisor: Dr. Andre Walther): Using Yeast Two Hybrid analysis to study how phosphorylation affects the interactions of Replication Protein A with cancer proteins.

- Morgan Goldring and Lily Decker (research advisors: Dr. Jeanne Berk and Dr. Jenny Hayden) Synthesis and antibacterial studies of novel Mannich bases from lawsone, vanillin and 1 aromatic amines and copper complexes.

- Ashlee Kitzhoffer (research advisor: Dr. Jenny Hayden) Exploring stagnant water as a source of antibiotic-producing bacteria: isolation and genetic characterization.

- Olivia Norris (research advisor: Dr. Andre Walther): Differentiating beer yeast strains with quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction using High Resolution Melt Analysis.

- Jessica Shults and Karlee Kelly (research advisor: Dr. Andre Walther): Investigating how RPA phosphorylation influences DNA adaptation and DNA repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

- Madelyn Updegrove and Corinne O'Connor (research advisor: Dr. Jenny Hayden) The regulation of DNA repair by lysine acetylation in Mycobacteria.