Tevah Nesvisky ’25 and Tia Presti ’27, along with Dr. Suda Moorthy, an assistant professor of Biology, recently attended the 2024 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) in Pittsburgh, Pa. Organized by the American Society of Microbiology, ABRCMS is an important event for historically excluded community college, undergraduate, and postbaccalaureate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Nesvisky, a Biology major, and Presti, a Chemistry major, presented a poster describing their microbial genetics research, “Do Escherichia coli isolates in the wild need bgi genes?” which was conducted over the past few months in Dr. Moorthy’s lab. In addition, the students used the conference to network with faculty and other representatives from graduate schools all over the United States who were available to discuss the various programs their schools offer.

“These opportunities are important for undergraduate students—especially first-generation students—because it provides a lower-stress and introductory opportunity to present research and network with other scientists,” Presti said. “I was incredibly nervous and unsure of what to expect at first, but being able to present in an environment geared toward undergraduate students made it feel much easier. No one expected me to know everything, and people were kind.”

There are numerous benefits to attending a conference like this, Dr. Moorthy explained.

“I strongly believe that such opportunities are good for our students and I am indeed honored that my students and I were able to attend the conference,” she said. “Tevah and Tia not only used this conference as a networking opportunity, but upon return, shared their experience with other biology students, talking about how to engage in research as an undergrad at Arcadia, how to approach faculty, how to apply for summer research opportunities, and how presenting at conferences adds to the undergrad experience.”

“We are very grateful for the opportunity and funding from Arcadia, which made it possible to attend this conference,” she added.