Office of University Communications
Missouri State student wins first prize at biology conference
Additional student accomplishments notedDate: May 6, 2008
Saitta, a graduate biology student from Ozark, won for his presentation, “Microbial Source Tracking Using Host Specific Bacteroides on the Wilson’s Creek Tributary in the James River Basin of Southwest Missouri.”
“Methods now can determine pollution but can’t determine where it’s coming from,” Saitta said. “This research is about using molecular, cellular and microbiology methods to be able to identify the sources.”
Saitta took first place out of 24 presenters at the meeting. “It was definitely a good experience and I believe it will help in the future. I’m proud of it,” Saitta said.
Dr. John Steiert, professor of biology, helped Saitta develop the research presented.
The Missouri State University Marketing Club won two awards at the 30th annual International Collegiate Conference April 5 in New Orleans. The Marketing Club, a chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), won the Outstanding Marketing Week Award and the Outstanding Professional Development Award.
“The awards were based off of a chapter plan which each chapter in AMA must create in the fall,” said Steve Palubiak, Marketing Club president.
According to the AMA, the Outstanding Marketing Week Award is given to chapters that “conduct the most outstanding and creative programs/activities during AMA Marketing Week.” Marketing Club activities during that week included a bake sale; barbecue and movie night; and meetings with leaders of companies such as KMOV News and Rams Radio.
The Outstanding Professional Development Award is given to chapters who have shown the most development over the course of the previous year. The success of Marketing Week, the creation of a book containing resumes of marketing club members and the quality of guest speakers were all factors in receiving this award.
Of the several hundred collegiate chapters of the AMA, only seven received the Outstanding Marketing Award and only 13 won the Outstanding Professional Development Award.
Missouri State students Lucas Rengstorf and Gwenda Schlomer, graduate students in the geospatial science Master of Science program, won awards at the national meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) April 19 in Boston, Mass.
Renstorf, from Pelican Rapid, Minn., won the AAG Cartography Specialty Group’s 2008 Masters Thesis Grant for his proposal, “Web-Based Interactive Cave Mapping: A Case Study of Fitton Cave, Arkansas.” Rengstorf received a cash prize of $100. Dr. Xiaomin Qiu, assistant professor of geography and geospatial science, was Renstorf’s adviser on the project.
Gwenda Schlomer, from Stover, was the winner of the AAG Geomorphology Specialty Group’s 2008 Masters Student Paper Award for her oral presentation, “Sedimentological and Geochemical Indicators of the Pre-Settlement Boundary in Overbank Floodplain Deposits of the Little Buffalo-Dutch Buffalo River System, North Carolina.” Schlomer received a cash prize of $250. Dr. Robert Pavlowsky, professor of geography, was Schlomer’s adviser on the project.