2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Awards #
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has announced the winners of its new annual scientific research awards at the 2023 MCSR Conference. The awards are open to invited nominations from private undergraduate institutions within the Pacific Northwest, encompassing Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. The Swanson Award is intended to recognize a senior faculty exemplar with an established, productive, and nationally recognized research program, while the Swanson Promise Award is aimed at recognizing a junior faculty who has demonstrated an exceptional potential in establishing an exemplary, productive, and sustainable research program. The latter award is intended to honor a junior professor with less than 10 years experience as a faculty member.
A panel of national experts evaluates the nominations, and the criteria for these awards are focused on research accomplishments that include the following.
- Discovery research accomplishments with national recognition
- Substantial engagement of undergraduate students
- Recognized leadership in developing and promoting research at undergraduate institutions
- Evidence of continuing growth in productive research
The awards honor the longtime work of Dr. Lynwood Swanson, who retired after serving as a Trustee at the Murdock Trust for 30 years. Dr. Swanson began his career as a professor at Linfield College, before moving his research to Oregon Graduate Institute. In 1971, he co-founded FEI, a world-leader in electron optics and focused ion beam technologies in scanning and transmission electron microscopies.
2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Awards #
The 2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Scientific Research Award was given to Dr. Stacey Weiss, Professor and Chair of Biology and William McCormick Professor of Natural Sciences, University of Puget Sound. This award recognizes Dr. Weissâs scholarship on behavioral and microbial ecology, and her deep commitment to providing transformational experiences to students in her research lab and classroom.
Learn more about Dr. Weissâ research in this video.
2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Promise for Scientific Research Award #
The 2023 Lynwood W. Swanson Promise for Scientific Research Award was given to Dr. Kelly ChacĂłn, Arthur F. Scott Associate Professor of Chemistry, Reed College. This award recognizes Dr. ChacĂłnâs internationally recognized application of spectroscopic approaches to answering bioinorganic chemistry questions, and for their committed mentorship, especially to undergraduates from historically marginalized backgrounds.
Learn more about Dr. ChacĂłnâs research in this video.
#
2023 John Van Zytveld Oral Presentation Awards #
At each annual MCSR conference, students giving oral presentations compete for two awards: The John Van Zytveld Physical sciences Award and the John Van Zytveld Life Sciences Award. The awards consist of a ribbon, a cash prize for the students and their academic departments, as well as a gift for their faculty research advisors. The criteria used by judges of faculty and students in selecting the awardees are as follows:
- Knowledge of material (understanding the background, research question, hypothesis, data collection and analysis, and limitation of the research)
- Creativity of the project
- Effective communication (clarity â slides and verbal presentation; organization; pace; answering questions)
- Level of preparation
- Ability to keep me interested
These awards are made in recognition of Dr. John Van Zytveld, a longtime Senior Program Director at the Murdock Trust and a champion for undergraduate research and science education in the region.
Here are the award winners at the 2023 MCSR Conference:
2023 John Van Zytveld Award in the Life Sciences
Micah Bell, Gonzaga University, in collaboration with Dr. Brook Swanson
âRhinoceros Beetles Carry Informational Chemicals About Body Size and Sexâ
2023 John Van Zytveld Award in the Physical Sciences
Elliot Wald, Carroll College, in collaboration with Dr. John Rowley
âMetal-oxide Photovoltaic Cells Synthesized using Materials Abundant in the Martian Regolithâ
Murdock Poster Prizes #
Students presenting their research in a poster format were also recognized at the 2023 MCSR Conference. One Murdock Poster Prize is presented to a poster in each research field, and it consists of a ribbon, a cash award, and a gift for the faculty research advisor. The criteria used by faculty judges in selecting the awardees are as follows:
- Graphicsâ relevance and visual impact
- Spelling and grammar
- Informational content
- Presentation content and research outcomes
- Presentation delivery
- Answering questions
- Overall presentation
2023 Murdock College Science Research Poster Awards #
Here are the award winners from each category of the 2023 MCSR Conference.
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Ecology-Evolution-Biodiversity (Section A, three prizes)
Name: Michelle Winfield
Institution: Pacific University
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Templeton
âCan zebra finches overcome noise-induced cognitive impairment through habituation?â
Name: Christina Riddle and Kelvin Sakyi
Institution: College of Idaho
Mentor: Dr. Robert Laport
âInvestigating Genetic Diversity of Castanea dentata Planted in the Pacific Northwestâ
Name: Gabriela Kuglen-Alvarez
Institution: Lewis & Clark College
Mentor: Dr. Margaret Metz
âLeaf area variation through developmental stage and canopy position in Myristicaceaeâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Developmental Biology-Physiology (Section B)
Name: Sara Helmstetter
Institution: Reed College
Mentor: Dr. Kara Cerveny
âBecoming a Neuron: Exploring Visual Input Influences on the Rate of Neurogenesis in the Zebrafish Optic Tectumâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Molecular and Cell Biology (Section C, two prizes)
Name: Mariah Canton
Institution: University of Puget Sound
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Thines
âCell Cycle Regulation in Plants by the F-BOX STRESS INDUCED 1 (FBS1) Geneâ
Name: Marharyta Tkachenka
Institution: Whitman College
Mentor: Dr. Dan Vernon
âTemporal and Spatial Dynamics of PIRL9 Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana: Insights from a Developmental Time Courseâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Neuroscience-Psychology-Exercise Science (Section D)
Name: Anna-Marie Ahn
Institution: Lewis & Clark College
Mentor: Dr. Tamily Weissman-Unni
Investigating alpha-synucleinâs role as a DNA repair protein in Parkinsonâs Disease
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Biochemistry (Section E)
Name: Melissa Duncan
Institution: Willamette University
Mentor: Dr. Cooper Battle
âCreating an Adaptable G4 Quadruplex Sensorâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Organic Chemistry (Section F)
Name: Shawn Vinogradsky and Andrew Harter
Institution: Whitman College
Mentor: Dr. Marion Gotz
âExploring stereochemical aspects of proteasome inhibition by peptide epoxyketonesâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Analytical-Inorganic-Physical Chemistry-Computational Chemistry (Section G, two prizes)
Name: Kaden Seely
Institution: University of Portland
Mentor: Dr. Buck Taylor
âComputational investigation into electronic and steric effects on the decomposition of ethenolysis catalystsâ
Name: Jeffrey Buetow
Institution: Pacific Lutheran University
Mentor: Dr. Dean A. Waldow
âOptimizing OECT performance with polymer blends: Studying volumetric capacitance in Poly(3-hexylthiophene) based organic transistorsâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Environmental Science-Geology (Section H)
Name: Emma Hardy
Institution: Rocky Mountain College
Mentor: Dr. Megan Poulette
âAlpine Plants and Snowmelt at a GLORIA Site in Wyomingâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Microbiology (Section I)
Name: Harrison Goeldner
Institution: Trinity Western University
Mentor: Dr. Laura Onyango
âAntibacterial Efficacy of Zn Based Particles Against Biofilm Forming Bacteriaâ
2023 Murdock Poster Prize for Physics and Engineering (Section J)
Name: Claire Skaggs
Institution: St. Martinâs University
Mentor: Dr. Andrea Kunder
âFingerprints of Pulsating Stars in the Bulge and Globular Clustersâ
2023 Neal Thorpe Memorial Lecture #
Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer, PhD
Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, University of Oregon
Title: âWindows of Opportunity: Brain Development and Mental Healthâ
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Pfeifer is a full professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon (UO), where she directs the Developmental Social Neuroscience Laboratory. At UO she serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in the College of Arts & Sciences, and as Co-Director of the UO Center for Translational Neuroscience. Dr. Pfeifer is also Co-Director of the National Scientific Council on Adolescence, a Board Member of Flux: The Society for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, and recently concluded a three-year presidential term of the Social & Affective Neuroscience Society. Her leadership was instrumental in securing an investment to found the Ballmer Institute for Childrenâs Behavioral Health and launching its new undergraduate degree program in Child Behavioral Health.
Dr. Pfeiferâs program of research focuses on the interconnected trajectories of biological and social development throughout adolescence, and their mutual relationships over time with mental health, well-being, and behavior. She and her lab are widely recognized as advocates for transparent and reproducible developmental cognitive neuroscience, and their recent work focuses heavily on longitudinal approaches. In the past decade, she has focused on amassing evidence for a conceptual model of how pubertal and neural development during adolescence launch cascading changes in social processes and mental health problems â primarily depression, but also anxiety and self-harm. Dr. Pfeiferâs work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Science Foundation, the Oregon Medical Research Foundation, and Hopelab. She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and has received a number of awards and honors, including the Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Research Award (UO), and the Early Career Research Contributions Award (Society for Research on Child Development).