ST. AUGUSTINE — Indian River State College A.A. biology students Naileth Gesto, Erin Okamoto and Jerson Zacarias and Sam Eastmond—who is a student in IRSC’s Bachelor’s Degree Biology Program—attended a conference meeting of the Florida Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (FLASM) at the Guy Harvey Resort in St. Augustine this month.

At the conference, the students gave presentations of research work undertaken with IRSC professors Dr. Tom D’Elia and Megan Carroll. Additionally, Melanie Giachettia worked with the team this summer and transferred to University of South Florida this fall.

Students presented one poster that all four students created about testing antimicrobial compounds for citrus greening. The project is supported by a CAPs grant. This was the second year that Indian River State College students participated in the conference.

“The conference was the perfect opportunity for the IRSC students to share their research results and network with the broader Florida microbiology community,” Dr. D’Elia said. “We were very proud to see the students’ hard work, enthusiasm and teamwork pay off, as they did an amazing job presenting at their first scientific conference. The overall experience highlights the significance of our USDA and IRSC partnerships in supporting students as they develop into future scientists through their active involvement in real-world scientific research.”

The annual conference is offered by the Florida Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (FLASM), which promotes microbiology education and research in Florida through meetings, discussions and publications. Attendees included undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from universities including University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of South Florida, Florida State University, Florida Atlantic University, and Florida International University. Other state colleges included Valencia College and St. Petersburg College.