Congratulations to the 2012 AAAS Student Poster Competition Winners

The 2012 Student Poster Competition took place at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, BC, 16-20 February. The students’ work in a variety of fields displayed originality and understanding that set them apart from their peers. First-place winners receive cash prizes thanks to the generous support of Subaru of America, Inc.

Brain And Behavior

Winner: Nicholas D. Olivas, University of California, Irvine

Laminar Circuit Organization and Inhibitory Neuronal Control of Primary Visual Cortex

Honorable Mention: Evan Ardiel and Andrew Giles, University of British Columbia

Optogenetic Stimulation Uncovers a Role for Neuropeptide Signalling in Habituation of a C. elegans Avoidance Response

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Winner (tie): Diana Hunter, Jessica Inskip, Mario Cruz Cabrera, and Nima Alan, University of British Columbia

A Very Large Organelle in Sympathetic Neurons

Winner (tie): Johnny Rodriguez, University of California, Irvine

Rewiring the Genetic Code for Global Protein Footprinting

Honorable Mention: Ben Paylor, University of British Columbia

Cardiac-Resident PDGFRA+SCA1+ Mesenchymal Progenitors Regulate the Development of Fibrosis in the Heart

Developmental Biology, Physiology, and Immunology

Winner: Cymone Gates, Emory University

Drosophila-Derived Commensal Bacteria Stimulate ROS-Dependent Anti-Oxidant Pathway

Honorable Mention: Alex C.Y. Chang, Victoria Garside, Megan Fuller, Audi Setiadi, and Justin Smrz, University of British Columbia

Notch Initiates Endothelial Mesenchymal-Transition in the Developing Atrioventricular Canal Through Autocrine Activation of Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase

Environment and Ecology

Winner: Benjamin Sandkam and Corey Watson, Simon Fraser University

Impacts of Genomic and Lighting Environments on Guppy Color Vision

Honorable Mention: Christopher Avis, University of Victoria

Evolution of Northern Wetlands in Response to Permafrost Thaw

Math, Technology, and Engineering

Winner: Kelly Paton, University of British Columbia

The Appearance of Reentrant Arrhythmias in Undamaged Cardiac Tissue

Honorable Mention: D. Leland Taylor, Davidson College

PHAST: Phage Assembly Suite and Tutorial

Medicine and Public Health

Winner: Alexander Sorum, Augsburg College

Effects of Airway Epithelial Secretions on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Formation

Honorable Mention: Nathan Gamarra, University of California, Irvine

Rapid Detection of Antibiotics by Nanowire-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (NALDI) Mass Spectometry

Physical Sciences

Winner: Laleh Samii, Simon Fraser University

Motor Properties of Molecular Spiders

Science in Society

Winner: Sheldon Turner, Michigan State University

The Effectiveness of Visualizations in Communicating Natural Resource Issues

Honorable Mention: Bridgette Kelly, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota

Waste(less): A Psychological Approach Toward Reducing Food Waste

Social Sciences

Winner: Stefani Crabtree, Washington State University, and Lydia Smith, University of California, Berkeley

Trophic Interconnectedness in Southwestern Colorado: An Archaeological Food-Webs Study of Ancestral Puebloans

Honorable Mention: Audrey Groleau, Université Laval

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers’ Relationships to Physics and Physics Teaching

Full abstracts can be viewed here.

Sign up at www.aaas.org/meetings to receive announcements about the 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting, 14-18 February, in Boston, MA.

The 2013 poster entry site opens on 14 May 2012. The AAAS Student Poster Competition recognizes the individual research efforts of students who are actively working toward an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree. Posters are judged at the meeting. Winners in each category receive a cash award, framed certificate, and recognition in the journal Science. Individuals holding doctoral degrees are not eligible and are invited to review the criteria for participating in the General Poster session.