FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University biology students presented at two recent research conferences, earning four awards.
Faith Cox, Matt Bristerpostma and Ashley Suris, among 168 participants, were honored at the Texas Branch American Society for Microbiology Spring 2021 Conference in New Braunfels.
Cox won the Orville Meiss Award for her first-place poster presentation in pathogenic microbiology titled “Development of a Triplex Quantitative PCR Assay for Avian Retroviruses.” The same presentation earned Outstanding Presentation of Research in Biology at the Baylor University Heart of Texas Undergraduate Research Conference in Waco.
Bristerpostma’s “Modulation of Host Bacteria Phenotypes by Microbacteriophage Pixie Gene Products” presentation earned the Orville Weiss Award for first-place poster presentation in bacteriophages and antimicrobials at New Braunfels.
Suris took second place in bacteriophages and antimicrobials at the Texas Branch ASM conference with her poster presentation, “Isolation and Annotation of Cluster EB Bacteriophage IndyLu.”
Faith and Matt also were also part of Summer Undergraduate Research Training (SMART) at the Baylor College of Medicine this year. Faith is set to begin a biomedical science PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology, and Matt starts his doctoral studies in the Department of Experimental Pathology, both at the University of Texas Medical Branch after graduating from Tarleton in May.
Ashley will be part of the 2021 Summer Program in Cancer Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 14,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle
817-484-4415
[email protected]
