And in participating in the Spring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Celebration poster session in the , Stoner practiced a few more practical skills he will need: graphic design and public speaking.

Stoner and partner Sarah Carpenter were winners of the upperclass division for their research titled 鈥淏ergton Stream Restoration: Stream Health Assessment Using Macroinvertebrate Sampling.鈥�

The poster session, which is preceded by an informal multidisciplinary science quiz-off and pizza feast, offers students 鈥渁 chance to share their research with fellow students, faculty, and the larger 黑料正能量 community in a fun, social setting,鈥� says physics professor , who judged the contest with biology professor .

Poster sessions are commonly held at scientific conferences, in which 鈥渟cientists and students present and explain their own findings to those who are interested but are not necessarily experts in that field,鈥� said King, who is also an assistant professor in the program.

Posters were judged on quality of experimental design, quality of research analysis, and quality of presentation, said Herin, also with the biomedicine program. 鈥淭he presentation included the appearance, accuracy and clarity of the poster, as well as the presenters鈥� knowledge and explanation of the project.鈥�

Coursework and independent study represented

黑料正能量鈥檚 poster session featured more than 90 participants showcasing research from a variety of courses such as electronics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, statistics for natural sciences, and environmental toxicology. Students in Herin鈥檚 advanced human anatomy class (BIO 437) also contributed 3-D visualizations of body systems.

Carpenter and Stoner were among several students presenting water quality research in the nearby Bergton area as part of . Biology professors and are supervising teams of environmental sustainability students working on water quality monitoring and stream restoration in two tributaries of the Shenandoah River and the Chesapeake Bay, with other facets of the project involving and graduate students.

Students in professor 鈥檚 general chemistry class focused on phytoremediation of a variety of plants, including carrots, forsythia, corn, cattails, and radishes.

Professor 鈥檚 statistics class explored the widest range of topics, including electronic devices owned by students; the fuel economy of cars driven by 黑料正能量 faculty and staff versus those driven by James Madison University faculty and staff; cereal shelf placement based on sugar and price at Food Lion and Kroger; sustainability effectiveness in 黑料正能量 residence halls; and a statistical analysis of the 鈥淪ettlers of Catan鈥� game.

Two unique projects with professor Steve Cessna explored the rhetoric of science and instructional techniques in the science classroom. In their plant ecophysiology course, Hannah Chappell-Dick, Eli Wenger, and Emma Beachy analyzed plant physiology research literature for changes in the 鈥渁ssignment of agency.鈥� For his biochemistry research course project, Kyle Storc investigated student comprehension and retention of biochemistry topics through the use of two-dimensional tools.

Several posters were the result of independent research that students conducted with faculty members. Camille Williams worked with biology professor to analyze the effects of fermented milk supplementation on gut microbacteria in mice.

Rachel King, who will be a research assistant on this summer, worked under chemistry professor on 鈥淎 Mixed Methods Approach to Green Chemistry Knowledge Gains in the Organic Laboratory.鈥� Kishbaugh also worked with Ben Stern, who studied the effects of barium toxicity on zebrafish.

Underclass winner links research to upcoming internship

Amanda Williams and Nader Alqahtani paired up to win the underclass division with their project that compared phytoremediation between native and invasive species.

For Williams, a first-year biology and secondary education major, the research project reminded her of how much she cares about the environment.

鈥淚 live in the wetlands in Delaware, surrounded by the plants we were experimenting on, cattail and phragmites,鈥� she said, adding that she鈥檒l continue her research in a summer internship with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to understand the possible negative effects of invasive species, but also to know that sometimes they are just as important as native species.鈥�

Alqahtani, a sophomore biology major who is interested in medical research, said the hands-on learning experience 鈥渨as a more fun and exciting way to learn than reading and studying.鈥�

And the presentation? That was 鈥渢he exciting part,鈥� he said, even though English is his second language. 鈥淲e were听confident that we knew everything about our project and we trusted each other’s ability to make a perfect presentation 鈥� when we started presenting and I saw how well we were doing, I got comfortable and started to enjoy telling our audience about our research.鈥�

Poster Session Winners: Upperclass Division

1st: Bergton Stream Restoration: Stream Health Assessment Using Macroinvertebrate Sampling – Sarah Carpenter and Sam Stoner

2nd: Keyless Entry – Stephan Goertzen and Jordan Leaman

3rd: Bergton Stream Restoration: Ecological Monitoring Using Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) – Jonathan Drescher-Lehman and Ryan Keiner

Honorable Mention: An ecophysiological study determining how three different invasive evergreen vines handle the varying winter temperatures by measuring their photosynthesis, transpiration, and Fv/Fm levels – Jonathan Drescher-Lehman, Chris Miller, and Abby Pennington

Honorable Mention: The Effects of Barium Toxicity on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) – Ben Stern

Poster Session Winners: Underclass Division

1st: 听Comparing Phytoremediation between Native and Invasive Species – Nader Alqahtani and Amanda Williams

2nd:听听Phytoremediation in Forsythia – Tyler Denlinger and Jeremiah Robinson

3rd: Electronic Devices Owned by 黑料正能量 Students – Sammy Kauffman, Josh Miller, and Roy Ruan

Honorable Mention: Phytoremediation in Various Plants – Aaron Dunmore and Kat Lehman

Eastern Mennonite controlled the first 10 minutes against the Bison, but couldn’t score despite four shots. The Bison struck first, getting a rebounded stickback in the 13th minute to go up 1-0.

闯耻苍颈辞谤听听(Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) then helped turn things around.听 In the 19th minute Cox set up听听(Media, Pa./Delaware County Christian) after a corner as the goal equalized the score. Then just four minutes before halftime, Cox picked up her second assist helping听听(Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) scored the go-ahead goal, making it 2-1.

The Royals stepped up their defense in the second 35 minutes, allowing Bethany to take just four shots in the frame.听听(Lothian, Md./Southern) made one save on Bethany’s only shot on goal in the half, and it was enough to secure 黑料正能量’s first win.

The women had a 16-11 advantage in shots, including 12-7 on goal. They also had a 7-3 edge in corners. Daley finished with six saves. Derstine took five shots with four on goal, while Williams and听听(Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) each put three on target.

All of 黑料正能量鈥檚 ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.听 Men鈥檚 volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the eighth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fifth year in a row.听 With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,558 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2013-14 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.听 He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC鈥檚 home on the Internet at听. 听Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on听听and follow听听on Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.听听

黑料正能量’s ODAC All-Academic Team
Elizabeth Alderfer – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Kayley Argenbright – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Jordan Aylor – Softball
Becky Barrett – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Tyler Brenneman – Men’s Soccer
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Lauren Campbell – Softball
McKenna Carter – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Robert Cook – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Hannah Daley – Field Hockey
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Paige DeBell – Field Hockey
Tyler Denlinger – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Katie Eckman – Women鈥檚 Cross Country
Mariah Foltz – Softball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Erica Garber – Women鈥檚 Track & Field
Carlos Garcia – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Abi Gardner – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Joe Hall – Baseball
Rebecca Hardy – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Morgan Hill – Women’s Soccer
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Brendan Jeschke – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Viktor Kaltenstein – Men’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Rachel Kennel – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Louise Krall – Field Hockey
Lanae Kreider – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Landis – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Jordan Leaman – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Jake Lind – Men’s Soccer
Lexi Link – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Mariah Martin – Field Hockey
Tim Martin – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Dilmer Martinez – Men鈥檚 Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Brad Matthias – Baseball
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Macson McGuigan – Men’s Soccer
Chris Miller – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Katie Miller – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Nisly – Men鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Ian Norris – Baseball
Nora Osei – Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball
Jolee Paden – Women鈥檚 Cross Country
Jesse Parker – Men鈥檚 Cross Country
Hannah Patterson – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Dylan Polley – Men’s Soccer
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
D Probst – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Casey Racer – Softball
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Krista Rittenhouse – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Kyle Salladay – Baseball
Juni Schirch – Women鈥檚 Cross Country, Track & Field
Caleb Schlabach – Men’s Golf
Chanel Shands – Women鈥檚 Basketball
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Kayla Smeltzer – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Molly Smith – Softball
Nicole Smith – Softball
Ashten Spencer – Women’s Soccer
Mandy Stowers – Field Hockey
Ryan Thomas – Men’s Soccer
Shannan Thompson – Women’s Basketball
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Londen Wheeler – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Alex Wynn – Men鈥檚 Track & Field
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Alena Yoder – Women鈥檚 Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Chris Yoder – Men鈥檚 Basketball
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball

Sophomore (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) had a big hand in the victory, as she charted her first career hat trick. The midfielder scored the game’s first goal just 5:35 in, then added a second unassisted score in the 33rd minute.

The Royals earned a penalty corner just before the half and scored in stoppage time to lead 3-0 at the break.听 (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) caged the goal with an assist from (Chester, Va./Thomas Dale).

In the 42nd minute, Derstine set up (Allensville, Pa./Belleville Mennonite). Then Brinkley picked up her second helper in the 50th minute, as Cox scored for her hat trick.

Virginia Wesleyan got their goals in the 57th and 64th minutes, but it was far too late to dig out of the hole.

(Matoaca, Va./Matoaca) made 10 saves between the pipes.听 (Powhatan, Va./Powhatan) and (Media, Pa./Delaware County Christian) each notched a defensive save.

The Royals are now 4-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and are fifth heading into their regular season finale at first-place Lynchburg on Wednesday. The win pushes the women two full games ahead of Washington and Lee, which is sixth. Bridgewater is a half-game ahead of 黑料正能量 at 4-2, while Shenandoah is 5-2. Both teams hold tie-breakers over the women, meaning the Royals will likely be playing as the fifth seed in the ODAC Tournament, which starts next Saturday.

After playing well but losing all seven of their season-opening non-conference games, the Royals took on Washington and Lee Wednesday night in just their second home contest of 2013. Less than five minutes in, (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) scored a goal to give the women a 1-0 advantage.

The Generals settled down and actually out-shot 黑料正能量 in the opening frame, but couldn’t dent the cage.听 Finally in the 60th minute W&L equalized to make it 1-1.

Each team had great chances to get ahead in the final 10 minutes of regulation, but missed opportunities and great saves sent the game into extra time.

Playing a man up after a Washington and Lee yellow card, the Royals struck. Derstine fired a shot after a penalty corner, and the Generals’ goalie made a great save. Knowing she couldn’t hold the ball without drawing a penalty, the goalie pushed the ball out, but Williams was right there for a point-blank shot into the corner.

Both teams had 14 shots in the game, but Eastern Mennonite was much more efficient, putting 12 shots on goal compared to seven for the W&L. (Matoaca, Va./Matoaca) made six saves in between the pipes.

Derstine and (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) each had four shots on goal.

The overtime win was 黑料正能量’s first OT game since a victory over Bridgewater in the ODAC Quarterfinals in 2011.

Now 1-7 on the season and 1-0 in ODAC play, the Royals step back out of the league to host St. Mary’s (Md.) on Saturday. Game time in Harrisonburg is 2 p.m.

Each of 黑料正能量鈥檚 sports was represented on the ODAC All-Academic Team except for men鈥檚 volleyball, which competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference.听 The CVC will also release an all-academic team later this summer.

The full ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the sixth consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the third year in a row.听 With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only, Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only, and Shenandoah University for field hockey and track & field only), 1,350 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2011-12 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.听 He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

For more information, visit the ODAC鈥檚 home on the Internet at听. 听Don鈥檛 forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook (click听) and follow听听on Twitter.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.听 to see the full list of the ODAC All-Academic Team.

Nels Akerson – Cross Country
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country
Laura Beckler – Women’s Soccer
Bradley Billings 鈥� Baseball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Rachel Breeden 鈥� Softball
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Bethany Crouse – Women’s Soccer
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Erica Detweiler – Women’s Soccer
Allison Eanes – Cross Country
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada 鈥� Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Lynae Fry – Women’s Volleyball
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Brooke Hensley 鈥� Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Phillip Jordan 鈥� Baseball
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Soccer
Justin King 鈥� Baseball
Lanae Kreider – Women’s Soccer
Valerie Landis – Field Hockey
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball, Softball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Jenna Longenecker – Field Hockey
Becca Longenecker – Field Hockey
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Thomas Millary – Cross Country, Track & Field
Michelle Miller – Women’s Soccer
Katarina Napfel 鈥� Softball
Peter Nelson – Cross Country
Cara Paden – Women’s Soccer, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Stephanie Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Andy Richter 鈥� Baseball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Bryce Shank – Men’s Soccer
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Amber Shelly – Women’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Raquel Stoltzfus – Women’s Soccer
Scotty Tiosso – Men’s Soccer
Jon Trice 鈥� Baseball
Keri Weaver – Cross Country
Kori Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Taylor Wenger – Women’s Soccer
Camille Williams – Field Hockey
Roberto Wingfield – Cross Country
Bianca Ygarza – Women’s Basketball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Marla Young – Women’s Basketball
Kelsey Zook – Women’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey
Marla zumFelde – Women’s Basketball