�鶹��Ʒ��Ƶ

�鶹��Ʒ��Ƶ’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College hosted the 24^th Annual Scholarly and Creative Research Symposium April 10 at the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter.

The campus was abuzz as over 125 undergraduate students presented to faculty, staff, students, family and supporters – the culmination of countless hours of research, scientific inquiry and artistic creation.

The day began with oral presentations. Presentation topics covered a wide range of disciplines, including neuroscience, biology, psychology, cancer research, marine science, political science, law, economics, literature and entrepreneurship.

For example, Natalia Builes presented her research on fear responses due to traumatic experience. One way to reduce fear is through a process called “fear extinction” - repeated exposure to a fear-inducing trigger administered in a safe environment free of threats. Builes’s project used mice to investigate whether a serotonin receptor called 5-HT2C helps reduce fear during this process. Though her results showed no clear link between the receptor and fear extinction, her findings help inform future research aimed at developing therapeutics for people suffering from anxiety disorders.

Caroline Ribeiro presented a comparison of the disparate outcomes of Spain and Germany’s post-World War II democratic transitions. She posited that Spain’s transition following the Franco dictatorship was self-directed, fragmented and left the emerging democracy more vulnerable to the reemergence of authoritarianism. Germany, on the other hand, was heavily influenced by the international community, which prioritized a more explicit rejection of authoritarianism and thus a stronger infrastructure for upholding democratic ideals in the long-term. Ribeiro’s research was informed by a study abroad opportunity to Spain, which she completed as a Morton Research Fellow.

Other oral presentations included an analysis of loggerhead sea turtle stranding incidents, the impact of Zora Neale Hurston’s books on changing stereotypes of African American women, an evaluation of a teaching methodology for introducing students to collegiate-level general chemistry, and an analysis of the mechanisms that cause resistance to an existing breast cancer treatment. In all, 66 students shared their research during the morning session.

After lunch was a plenary session presented by Paul R. Jensen, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California Sand Diego. Jensen is a marine microbiologist who studies marine microbes in search of natural products that could be used for drug discovery. His talk, “The Language of the Ocean and Why We Should be Listening,” explained the vast untapped potential of marine natural products as a resource for biomedical research – and how scientists like him are racing to discover and understand marine microbes before changes in ocean chemistry could alter them forever.

The afternoon was dedicated to research posters and creative works. Poster presentations covered a variety of scientific specialties, including marine biology, neuroscience, biomedical research, sociology, psychology and biology.

Simultaneous to the research poster session was the exhibition of visual and creative arts. Students shared their individual works along with student projects from four visual arts classes at the Honors College. The students worked in a range of mediums, from pen-and-ink sketches to digital animation to film to multimedia paintings and sculptures. Students also presented their original video and tabletop game concepts, inviting attendees to demo the games and learn about the concepts behind them.

To see the full event program, including all presenter abstracts, visit .

to view more photos from the event.


Natalia Builes presented her research on the brain mechanisms behind fear responses due to traumatic experience.


Caroline Ribeiro presented her comparison of Spain and Germany's post-World War II democratic transitions.