Three postdoctoral fellows win awards during the second annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium

Three Auburn University postdoctoral fellows received awards for their research presentations during the 2022 Postdoctoral Research Symposium held on Sept. 20. The symposium consisted of three oral presentation sessions followed by a keynote address and closing ceremony with awards presented.

The Best Presentation Awards were presented by Dale Watson, Director of Professional Development for the Graduate School. For session one, Lovely Mae Lawas in the College of Science and Mathematics won for her presentation on “Blueberries and climate change: Evaluating the impacts of elevated temperature on growth and quality.” From session two, the Best Presentation Award was given to Amanda Gross from the College of Veterinary Medicine for her research on “Antibody Gene Therapy for Rabies Encephalitis.” The third session Best Presentation was awarded to Kaelyn Fogelman in the College of Agriculture for her presentation on “What makes a crayfish good at holding their breath?”

George Flowers, professor of Mechanical Engineering and dean of the Graduate School, welcomed attendees with opening remarks in the Melton Student Center. Six faculty from across campus judged the 10-minute oral presentations of the postdoctoral participants. Reita Clanton, Coordinator for Performance Optimization in the School of Kinesiology, presented the afternoon keynote session. Officers from the Auburn Postdoctoral Association board presented the closing remarks.

President of the Auburn Postdoctoral Association, Selina Bruckner, reflects on the success of the event. “The 2022 Postdoctoral Research Symposium was part of National Postdoc appreciation week, aimed at highlighting the diversity of expertise and research among Auburn. It was inspiring to learn about other postdocs’ research and a delight to spend the day with brilliant peers.”

The research symposium was first organized in 2021 by the Auburn University Postdoctoral Association as an opportunity to share research and promote connections with other postdoctoral fellows across campus in a variety of fields. For the second annual symposium, approximately 21 postdoctoral fellows representing 11 different academic departments across campus participated in three separate sessions of oral presentations throughout the day-long event.

The 2022 Postdoctoral Research Symposium was sponsored by the Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics’ Office of Inclusion, Equity and Diversity and the Auburn University Graduate School.