Biology Senior Presents Original Research at National Conference

Biology Senior Joe Romano presented his original research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in Richmond, VA on April 13-15.

The title of Joe's thesis was "Quantifying Banana Bunchy Top Viral Components to Understand How Wolbachia Endosymbiont Impacts Virus Transmission." He spent the past year investigating the role of a bacteria on the transmission of an aphid-vectored plant virus by caring and keeping colonies of aphids, growing banana plants, and performing numerous microbiological and molecular laboratory techniques.

While conducting and presenting original research is nothing new for GMercyU Biology students, Joe is the first GMercyU Biology student to present original research at this national conference. The experience was made possible by the encouragement of his research and thesis advisor, Clesson Higashi, PhD.

"To pioneer your own scientific investigation and contribute something new and interesting to the ever-growing human knowledge is what is truly exciting about being a scientist," Joe said. "To have the opportunity to share the stage with so many impressive people and present my own research was truly incredible, and I cannot overstate how fortunate I am."

One of the hallmarks of GMercyU's Biology program is that 100% of Biology students conduct original research at the undergraduate level before graduating. It's one of the leading reasons why 100% of 2025 Biology grads were employed in the field or enrolled in a graduate program within two months of graduating.

 

"Conducting research at the undergraduate level is important because it allows a student to put themselves in the role of an educator, a facilitator of information, and an expert," Joe said. "It allows an individual to take control of their experience and have something to show for the past many years of hard work and dedication, something that is uniquely theirs."