On November 4th and 5th, Gonzaga University hosted the twenty-fifth annual Murdock College Science Research Conference, a program of the Murdock Charitable Trust. Over 400 students and faculty from thirty-one colleges and universities convened at the Spokane Convention Center for the conference, which focuses on sharing and advancing new knowledge in the natural sciences created or discovered through collaborative faculty-student research.
Two Gonzaga University undergraduates took home awards for their work. Senior Alison Zander won the Murdock Poster Prize in Biochemistry for her poster titled “Overexpression and Characterization of the rquA Gene Product Involved in the Biosynthesis of Rhodoquinone.” Alison’s research adviser is Professor Jennifer Shepherd. Senior Riley Meister won the John VanZytveld Physical Sciences Award for his oral presentation titled “Development and Analysis of a Zinc-responsive Lanthanide Complex for Effective Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer via PARACEST MRI.” Riley’s research adviser is Assistant Professor Osasere Evbuomwan.
Find photos from the two-day conference here, at the College’s Facebook page.
The College of Arts & Sciences congratulates and thanks Alison Zander and Riley Meister, their faculty mentors, and all of the students, faculty, and staff whose efforts continue to make Gonzaga University a leader in undergraduate research. The College also thanks the Murdock Charitable Trust for their continued support of undergraduate research.