Asbury Students Take Second in Research Competition

November 23, 2021

Two Asbury students, Rebecca Piche and Alex Whitaker, won second place at the Kentucky Academy of Science’s annual research competition.

Piche won second in ecology with “a comparison of detection methods for semiaquatic salamanders: eDNA and leaf litter bags,” and Whitaker took second place in environmental sciences with “rehabilitating a Lonicera maackiidominated forest understory.”

“We are proud of Rebecca and Alex’s accomplishment,” said Vins Sutlive, Asbury dean and professor of the School of Science, Health, and Mathematics. “Due to the COVID-19, the conference was virtual, which can make presentations challenging, but both students represented Asbury very well.”

Over 400 scientist and students registered for the early November competition meeting, and more than 130 students from Kentucky universities and colleges participated in the research competitions. Keynote speakers at the KAS event included Dr. Burton Webb and Dr. Chanda Prescod Weinstein.

To further student scientific research, Asbury’s Collaborative Learning Center will provide state-of-the-art technology. The new STEM-focused CLC is scheduled to open for the fall semester in 2022. The 50,000-square-foot facility will offer technology and lab spaces and will encourage undergraduate research and scholastic excellence through the intertwining of the Dayton School of Business and the School of Health, Science, and Mathematics. For more information, visit https://www.asbury.edu/clcprogress/.

Presentations from the KAS research competition are available at https://kyscience.org/ .