The 79th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists (March 28-31) attracted more than 900 participants to its Myrtle Beach venue, including a dozen faculty and students from UNC Pembroke. 

Undergraduate biology researchers (pictured above) Amy Kish, Ashley Lytle, Whitney Pittman, Hannah Swartz, and Grant Wood presented posters, and undergraduate researcher La-Teisha Allen presented a paper.  Biology faculty Drs. Andrew Ash and John Roe presented papers.  Drs. Rita Hagevik (Biology) and Martin Farley (Geology and Geography) presented posters based on their Kids in the Garden program for public school children.  UNCP alumnus, Dr. Grant Pilkay, co-authored a Kids in the Garden poster. Biology faculty Drs. Kaitlin Campbell and Lisa Kelly co-authored work that was presented by students, and new Biology faculty member Dr. Joseph White attended the meeting.  The UNCP RISE and PURC Programs provided financial support for the students' research and travel. 

The University was one of a handful of academic institutions that sponsored the meeting, and Dr. Jeffrey Frederick, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was on hand for the Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco's plenary talk on Wednesday evening.  The meeting included symposia and workshops, the popular Thursday night social, a silent auction, and an awards banquet. You can access the entire program by clicking here. 

The Association of Southeastern Biologists (ASB) is the largest regional society of biologists in the United States, and its annual meeting is held in a different location each year to accommodate its wide membership.  It attracts seasoned scientists as well as graduate students, and in more recent years, it has attracted large numbers of undergraduate students.  Each year the ASB and its affiliate societies confer several awards to recognize outstanding research posters and papers presented during the annual meeting.