Student Awards
A panel of judges evaluate each presenter and determine the best poster and oral presentations.
Winners receive a personalized certificate of recognition and a cash award.
Presentations are judged on the:
- Scientific content based on the articulation of the problem, soundness of hypothesis testing, methodology, and analyses
- Oral and visual quality of the delivery
- Demonstration of confidence and depth of understanding of the material.
Oral Presentations
Winners of the oral presentation category will receive Associate Memberships in
First place will win $150 and second place will win $100.
2025 Winners:
- 1st Place: Piper Zola, "Making the “boring” sponge exciting: Assessment of the prevalence, infection mechanism, and bioerosion rates of the bioeroding sponge Cliona celata on oyster reefs in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, SC, USA."
- 2nd Place: Schuyler Wilson, "Spectral flow cytometry as a novel tool for identifying North Pacific Gyre phytoplankton under varying nutrient and temperature conditions."
Poster Presentations
First place will win $150 and second place will win $100.
2025 Winners:
- 1st Place: Bri Glendening, "Environmental drivers of viral infection in salt marsh benthic diatoms."
- 2nd Place: Kylie Warden, "Exploring environmental influences on mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) exposure in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, FL."
ABC's of Communication Award
A panel of judges evaluate student abstracts that have been rewritten for a fifth-grade audience.
Sponsored by .
2025 Winner: Piper Zola