91ֱ�� hosts 2025 Holroyd Research Symposium and Alumni Reception honoring scientific achievement

Presentation of the Holroyd Award honors Dr. Roland Holroyd’s legacy of scientific curiosity, academic rigor, and professional excellence that he championed throughout his career.

Providing a platform for students and faculty to share their research, foster academic dialogue, and strengthen alumni engagement, 91ֱ��’s Natural Sciences Department hosts the Holroyd Research Symposium and Alumni Reception. Taking place on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Founder’s Hall Atrium, the annual event culminates in meaningful connections, professional inspiration, and a celebration of the La 91ֱ�� scientific community.

“The Holroyd Research Symposium honors the legacy of Dr. Roland Holroyd, the namesake of the Holroyd Science Center,” said Zeb Kramer, chair of the Natural Sciences Department. “It is our proud annual tradition highlighting the scientific achievements occurring at 91ֱ�� and by our students, past and present.”

This year’s celebration will honor Dr. Robert McNamara, ’78, MD, FAAEM, as the recipient of the 2025 Holroyd Award, which recognizes a La 91ֱ�� science alumnus for a distinguished career in science or medicine. Dr. McNamara, professor and chair of emergency management, is affiliated with Temple University Hospital and is being recognized for his significant contributions to the field of emergency medicine.

Dr. Roland Holroyd, affectionately known as “the Good Doctor,” served La 91ֱ�� with distinction from 1920 until his retirement in 1973. A revered biology professor, he became the first faculty member to be named emeritus and received numerous honors during his tenure, including an honorary Doctor of Science degree and the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 1970, the science building was renamed in his honor, symbolizing his lasting impact on the university community.

The event also serves as a forum for reconnecting with faculty, students, and graduates with an alumni panel. Additionally, a longstanding tradition at La 91ֱ��, the Holroyd Research Symposium highlights the impactful undergraduate research being conducted by current science students, in collaboration with their faculty mentors.

Alumni Panel

Elizabeth Abraham, ’20 (biochemistry and chemistry), a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical sciences at Temple University
Faisal Malik, ‘17 (chemistry), Ph.D.
Madda Ngaima, ’23 (ISBT), employed at Tru-Mark Financial while completing his post-bac studies at University of Pennsylvania.
Sophia Lozowski, ‘18 (chemistry and biochemistry), M.S. (chemistry) from NYU where she is the associate manager of oncology omnichannel analytics at GSK.

Student Research Posters

Title: “Annotating the start site of phage MulchExplorer gene 5”
Authors: Samyiah Webb ’26, Jonah Badstubner ‘26, and Stephanie Reyes Avalos ‘27.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Bioinformatic analysis of phage MulchExplorer gene 16”
Authors: Jennifer Fleury ‘26, Farrah Muhammad ‘27, and Gabby Neal ‘26.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Start site and functional annotation of gene 9 in phage MulchExplorer”
Authors: Whitney Wood ‘25, Justin Sims ‘27, Mads Ole Eskelund ‘26, and Jill Brown ‘27.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Analyzing Phage Mulchexplorer gene 23; Start site and function”
Authors: Narjiss Haouam ‘27, Palina Hancharonak ‘26, and Dinalis Jones ‘26.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Gap analysis of Genes 45 and 46 in MulchExplorer”
Authors: Juan McLaughlin ‘27, Matthew McKeown ‘27, and Jocelyn Olivencia ‘26.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Growth of Arabidopsis LEA mutants under abiotic stress.”
Authors: Ainsley Plume ‘25 and Ayra Singh ‘26.
Faculty: Kristen Clermont, Ph.D.

Title: “Potential Neuroprotective Effects of THC and CBD Against Seizure Related Brain Damage”
Authors: Palina Hancharonak ‘26, Randy Burkhardt ‘25, Audrey Allen ‘25, Sofia Chavarria ‘26, Dareen Nossir ‘25, Stephanie Alampi ‘25.
Faculty: Gerald Ballough, Ph.D.

Title: “Barium Removal Under Varying Ionic Conditions Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy”
Author: Sofia Kolovou ‘25
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “Analysis of Ca2+ Removal in Solutions via Fungal Biomineralization”
Author: Jacob Banji-Ajala ‘25
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “Lead Levels in Soil Samples Around the Philadelphia Area”
Author: Robert Hassel ‘25
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “Testing for Fe2+ Contamination in Samples from the Silver Creek Mine Tunnel Discharge Project”
Author: Nicholas Krall ‘25
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “Turning Strokes into Watts: Can Rowing Power Our Campus?”
Authors: Justin Sims ‘27, Gavin Zanck ‘26, Mike Ricciardi ‘28, Trace Lucio ‘28, and Dimitra Karakotta ‘25.
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “The Role of Solar Power in Supporting the Los Angeles Homeless Community”
Authors: Allison Ringsdorf ‘26, Gillian Lovett ‘27, Dareen Nossir ‘25, Robin Bull ‘25, Ja-Kenya Stewart ‘25, and Brenda Stiehl ‘25.
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “How do the different types of blades and blade angle impact energy production in wind turbines?”
Authors: Bridget McGuinn ‘25, Kayla McCray ‘26, Alicia Thornton ‘25, Marceline Fougy ‘25, and Benjamin Tornambe ‘25.
Faculty: Florence Ling, Ph.D.

Title: “Optimizing the Nickel-catalyzed C-H Arylation Reaction”
Authors: Carly Blundi ‘25 and Stella Hammond ‘27
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “From Spent Coffee Grounds to Soap: Exploring Coffee Oil Extraction and Saponification”
Author: Madison Phun ‘25
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “Evidence in Support of Ni(COD)(DQ) as an Air Stable Ni(0) Catalyst in the Suzuki Reaction”
Author: Nicholas Krall ‘25
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “Screening the role of various nickel catalysts on regioselectivity in direct C-H arylation”
Author: Stella Kahn ‘25
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “Probing the Reactivity of Nickel Photocatalysts to Perform Direct C-H Arylation”
Author: Kaya Cooper ‘26
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “A Study of the Impact of Water on the Efficiency of the NiCl2dppe-catalyzed Suzuki Reaction”
Author: Nicholas Jesiolowski ‘25
Faculty: Denise Femia, Ph.D.

Title: “The effects of water availability on biomass allocation in soybean-rhizobia symbioses: a pilot study”
Author: Meghan Cehlar ‘26, Sean Bradley ‘25, Alex Stump ‘26, and Ja-Kenya Stewart ‘25
Faculty: Hannah Locke, Ph.D.

Title: “Optimization of Rhizobia Isolation from Root Nodules”
Authors: Jennifer Valentin ‘25 and Sean Bradley ‘25
Faculty: Hannah Locke, Ph.D.

Title: “Effect of Sulforaphane on DNA Damage and Senescence in IMR90 Cells”
Authors: Helene Usher ‘25, Owen Jenkins ‘25, Zahraa Muhammad ‘25, and Jack Madera ‘25.
Faculty: David Rothblat, Ph.D. and Jaimy Joy, Ph.D.

Title: “Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate in the Induction of Premature Senescence in Primary Human Fibroblasts”
Authors: Sonia Patel ‘25, Casey Gallagher ‘24, and Jack Madera ‘25
Faculty: Jaimy Joy, Ph.D.

Title: “DFT investigations of the oxidation of styrene radical and hydrogen transfer in the hydroxycyclohexadienylperoxyl radical”
Author: Thomas Saady ‘25
Faculty: Zeb Kramer, Ph.D.

Title: “A multi-step synthesis of vanillin from eugenol: A transformation of cloves to vanilla”
Authors: Sonia Patel ‘25 and Whitney Wood ‘25.
Faculty: William Price, Ph.D.

Title: “Synthesis of a sex pheromone found in German cockroaches: Blattellaquinone”
Authors: Kaya Cooper ‘26, Dijana Majkic ‘26, and Zahraa Muhammad’25.
Faculty: William Price, Ph.D.

Title: “Grounds for change: Synthesis and characterization of biodiesel from coffee oils”
Authors: Owen Jenkins ‘25 and Nicholas Jesiolowski ‘25.
Faculty: William Price, Ph.D.

Title: “Analysis of Programmed Translational Frameshift Elements in Mycobacteriophages”
Author: Owen Moody ‘25
Faculty: Sean P. McClory, Ph.D.

Title: “Cloning and Expression of Mycobacteriophage Tail-Assembly Chaperone Genes”
Author: Carly Blundi ‘25
Faculty: Sean P. McClory, Ph.D.

Title: “Sequencing and Analysis of Actinobacteriophage Genomes”
Authors: Katie McGovern ‘25 and Carly Blundi ‘25
Faculty: Sean P. McClory, Ph.D.

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 1”
Authors: Seth Hughes ‘27 and Catherine Gandolfo-Lucia ‘27.
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 2”
Authors: Amanda Fadil ‘26 and Meghan Lister ‘27
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 3”
Authors: Jennifer Gomez Maldonado ‘25 and Mia Harris ‘26.
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 4”
Authors: Rose Whelan ‘28 and Vega Gil Turumbay ‘26.
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 5”
Authors: Genevieve Augustin ‘25 and Sofia Chavarria ‘26.
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D

Title: “ WalkingDead Genome Annotation 6”
Authors: Stacy Larose ‘25 and Aganiele Cetoute ‘26.
Faculty: Tali Reiner Brodetzki, Ph.D.

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