It’s all About the Research!
ABCRMS conference
A large contingent of Hamilton students attended the annual American Society for Microbiology conference (ABCRMS) in support of multidisciplinary science and workforce development. Hamilton’s ROOTS student group organized the trip, which took place in San Antonio in November.
At ABRCMS, scientists from all communities come together to share research positioned to meet today’s challenges and shape tomorrow’s future. That shared purpose depends on emerging scientists from every background showing up with passion and purpose.
Led by Associate Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck and Associate Professor of Psychology Siobhan Robinson, attendees included Elise Kwon ’26, Prim Udomphan ’26, Mimosa Van ’26, Mark Khairallah ’27, Aditi Kumar ’27, Elizabeth (Ellie) Casalmir ’26, Sa (Sa Kay) Da ’26, Jessica Corbett ’27, Joy Seo ’27, Hargoon Kaur ’28, Amelya Greaves ’26, Sara Ghaemi ’27, Lizzy Ma ’27, Rejoice Muleya ’27, and Jordan Merklin ’26.
Afsar-Keshmiri ’26 shares research at Society for Neuroscience
Hamilton Senior Fellow Julia Afsar-Keshmiri ’26 presented her research findings on a type of microscopy that allows 3D visualization of the brain at the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego in November. She and Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Abigail Myers collaborate on that project with a team at the University of Florida. At Hamilton, Afsar-Keshmiri and Myers are studying how a protein called Miro1 influences brain development.
Students present research at SICB
Three Hamilton students – Lula Dalupang ’26, Andrea Jivanny Hernandez Ramirez ’27, and Tenniyah Jennings ’28 – presented two posters with Assistant Professor of Biology Ariel Kahrl at this year’s Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology annual meeting in Portland, Ore.
Their posters showcased their summer science research examining how frog egg jelly impacts sperm performance in Green Frogs, as well as Dulupang’s senior thesis work testing whether male traits are related to male sperm performance.
Lacerda ’27 presents at AAA annual meeting
Pedro Lacerda ’27 discussed his research at the American Anthropological Association’s (AAA) annual meeting in New Orleans in November. His project was titled “Pero mi cuerpo reaccionaba:” The Body as a Channel for Abjectivity Among Migrants in the Paso del Norte Region.
“I’m so grateful for all the support I received from the Anthropology Department as well as the Dean of Faculty’s Office, Hamilton Opportunity Programs, and my research mentor Carina Heckert (University of Texas El Paso). I’m excited to move forward with my work and to continue considering the importance of future-building in the borderlands as well as Oaxaca, where I will be spending the spring semester,” Lacerda said.
Majireck and five students publish paper
Associate Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck’s research group published an article in the chemistry research journal ACS Omega for a special issue on “Undergraduate Research as the Stimulus for Scientific Progress in the USA.”
Student contributors are senior biochemistry/molecular biology majors Jordan Merkli, Beau Sinardo, and Claire Cooper; senior chemistry major Prim Udomphan; and Maddie Boger ’25, a mathematics and statistics major.
Marash ’26 presents poster at American Physical Society
Sam Marash ’26 presented a poster from his summer work at the American Physical Society Department of Plasma Physics conference in Long Beach, Calif., in November. His research was conducted through the Department of Energy’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program. Marash was connected to General Atomics, a private company in San Diego with government contracts, where he worked on materials physics research for nuclear fusion applications.
Nannas and two grads publish in journal
Associate Professor of Biology Natalie Nannas is the senior author, along with two recent Hamilton graduates as co-authors, of a paper published recently by the MDPI journal, Education Sciences.
“Artificial Intelligence Performance in Introductory Biology: Passing Grades but Poor Performance at High Cognitive Complexity” is the result of a study conducted by Megan Rai ’25 and Michael Ngaw ’25 in which they “investigated the ability of four different AIs to perform on [an] assessment from introductory biology.” The course, BIO100, focuses on the key concepts of evolution, information flow, transformation of energy and matter, structure and function, and biological interactions.
The study evaluated the performance of ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-3.5, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Bing. Results showed that all of the AI products were able pass the biology course “with varying degrees of success related to the usage of image-based assessments.” Overall, AI received grades ranging from D- to C-, while the average student grade was a B. However, on assessments that did not include image-based questions, the study showed AI scored a full letter grade higher.
“By understanding [AI’s] capabilities at different levels of complexity, educators will be better able to adapt assessments based on AI ability, particularly through the utilization of image- and sequence-based questions, and integrate AI into higher education curricula,” the researchers concluded.
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Wu a delegate at Ukraine Action Summit
Harry Wu ’27 attended the Fall 2025 Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C., as a delegate representing California and New York. This seventh biannual summit, hosted by the American Coalition for Ukraine, brought together over 700 delegates from all 50 states, the largest gathering in the coalition’s history.
“Throughout the summit, I collaborated with fellow advocates and gained first-hand insight into how the U.S. legislative process supports international partnerships,” Wu said, adding that his delegation met with eight members of Congress, including Rep. Josh Harder (CA-9), Rep. John Mannion (NY-22), Rep. Young Kim (CA-40), Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-4), and Senator Adam Schiff (CA), to discuss key legislation strengthening U.S.–Ukraine relations and supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
“We also had the incredible opportunity to meet EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola and thank her for the EU’s support for Ukraine,” Wu said. “I’m deeply grateful to the American Coalition for Ukraine and its partners, my delegation leaders and fellow advocates, the Renyi Leadership Fund at Hamilton for funding my participation, and my ALEX advisor, Noelle Niznik, for helping me make this trip possible.
“It was truly meaningful to contribute to advocacy efforts that support democracy, human rights, and international solidarity,” he added.
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In Sports News …
Student-athletes earn All-Academic honors
A total of 92 Hamilton student-athletes earned a spot on the 2025 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team.
Representing seven teams (men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball), these students qualified for the distinction that honors sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Link to story https://athletics.hamilton.edu/news/2025/12/5/NESCACAllAcademicFall2025.aspx
NESCAC announces 2025 Fall All-Sportsmanship Team
Seven Hamilton student-athletes were selected for the 2025 NESCAC Fall All-Sportsmanship Team. Representatives include one student-athlete from each varsity sport selected by coaches and student-athletes based on positive contributions to sportsmanship. The student-athletes exhibit respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, and spectators. Through their positive actions and examples, they inspire others to adhere to the quality of sportsmanship that the NESCAC and the NCAA endorse.
Hamilton team members include Drew Richardson ’26 (men’s cross country), Taylor Harris (women’s cross country), Becky Felker ’26 (field hockey), John Young ’26 (football), Jameson Mannix ’26, (men’s soccer), Daisy Sullivan ’26 (women’s soccer), and Faye Roselle ’26 (volleyball).
Posted January 15, 2026
