Senior Project Students

​Athena Allen '27 (Bard Conservatory)

Gio Matitshvili
Investigation of Swimming Motility Pattern Formation in Janthinobacterium Strain via Transposon Mutagenesis and Agent-Based Modeling

Habiba Musah '26
Full Characterization and Testing of Nontuberculosis Mycobacterium (NTM) Strain: Mycobacterium abscessus, Cultured from Pediatric Patients Lymph Nodes

Rachel Harris '26
Tracking Bacterial Persistence on Gym Surfaces: The Role of Surface Type and Oxivir Cleanser Effectiveness

Sasha Rabinowitz '26
Contraception and the Vaginal Microbiome

Kane Morgan '26
Environmental Stress Tolerance in Probiotic Lactobacillus Strains: Implications for Gastrointestinal Viability and Bettering Athlete Health

Spencer Azzara ' 25
Investigating Microbial Contributions to Baseball Aerodynamics: Lena Blackburne Mud's RPM Effects

Margo Ganton ' 25
Fungicidal Properties of Violacein on Microsporum Canis

Jynaiya Grizzle ' 25
Dripping in Defense: Understanding How Violacein Targets and Inhibits Skin Bacteria In Sweat

Yadriel Lagunes ' 25
Antibiotic Susceptibility of Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) M. abscessus and Clinical Isolate using SLOMYCO2 Plates and Resazurin Assay

Annie White ' 25
Antimycobacterial Activity of Violacein

Thalia Grandinetti ' 24
Unlocking Nature’s Defense Against Antibiotic Resistance: Evaluating the Antimicrobial E cacy of Quercus rubra (Northern Red Oak) Bark Extracts on the ESKAPE Panel of Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens

Tim Neumeister ‘24        
The Effect of Pesticides Glyphosate and Cyfluthrin on the Growth of the Eukaryotic Organism Candida albicans

Anneka Prigodich ‘24        
Mycobacterium intracellulare ABSURDO: Identification and Initial Characterization of a Novel, Pathogenic Strain From a Clinical Isolate of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Nine Reed-Mera ’24       
Challenges in Combating Antibiotic Resistance: Constructing a pCas9 Vector for the Mutagenesis of TraG and TrbC Genes in E. coli S17-1, and the Limitations of the S17-1 Donor in Horizontal Gene Transfer Studies
Thomas J. Watson Fellow 2024
Currently: Honorary Visiting Scholar at the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection

Jenny Chen ‘23        
Dyeing Textile-fabrics Using BJB312 Violacein Strain to Test Against Gram-positive Bacteria

Emily Gokul    ‘23        
Identification of Flavobacterium sp. Growing with Violacein-Producers in Upstate NY Water Sources

Kylie Quinn    ‘23        
Investigating Biofilm Formation in Clinical Isolates of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria: A Comprehensive In Vitro Study

Anthony Ruocco ‘23       
Study of Microbial Load in Water Samples from Hydraulic Fracturing Adjacent Streams

Lily (Ying) Xu    ‘23        
Biofilm Formation of Staphylococcus saprophyticus Under Presence of Sub-inhibitory Concentration of Antibiotics

Alex Doolittle '22
PhD Student, UNC Chapel Hill
"Inhibition of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis growth and development by novel bacterial strains from the skin microbiota of Lithobates sylvaticus"

Christina Kiser '22, MPH
Research Assistant, Mobley Lab, University of Michigan
"Phage Hunting on the Campus of Bard College"
Currently: Research Specialist University of Michigan

Tate Morrison '22
"An Examination of the Potential Use of Predatory Bacteria as a Co-therapy with Traditional Antibiotics to Treat Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens"
Currently: Lab Assistant NYU-Langone

Regina Zavadzkas-Garza '22
"Nigella sativa oil as a Novel Anthelmintic Against Internal Nematode Parasites of Sheep"

Grey McAlaine '21
Research Technician, Weill-Cornell Medicine
"Biomaterials and Bacteria: The Microbial Communities of Spider Webs in the Hudson Valley"
Currently: Veterinary Assistant

Sacha Medjo-Akono '21
Conservation Educator, NY Aquarium     
"An Investigation on Love in the Bacterial Cell & Letters to the Scents of God"
Currently: Master's Student, Ecology and Evolution at California State University, Northridge (CSUN)                                    

Cailey Mitchell '21 
"Employing CRISPR-Cas9 to Disrupt the Violacein Biosynthesis Operon of BJB302, a Unique Violacein-Producing Isolate from the Hudson Valley"
Data Scientist II, Abbvie 
                             
Kane Moser '21 
"Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Traps Polystyrene Microplastics"
Currently: PhD Student, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
                                                 
Mia Sheshova (Joint Project with Chemistry and Biochemistry – E. McLaughlin) '21 
"Exploring the Biotic and Abiotic Environmental Interactions of Soil Chemistry and Novel Bacillus Spp. Isolates 
Currently: Graduate Student in Chemistry, NYU                            
Glenn Decety (Co-advised with M. Tibbetts)  '20
“Quantifying Saccharomyces cerevisiae Growth to Elucidate the Mechanism of Violacein”
Currently: Research Assistant
 
Michael Uhle (Co-advised with M. Tibbetts) '20
“Impact of electronic and traditional cigarette smoke vapor on biofilm production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens”
Currently: Deviation Investigator/Quality Assurance Specialist, Astra/Zeneca
 
Julia Gibson '20
“The Characterization of Quorum Sensing Related Behaviors for BJB404, a Unique Violacein Producing Isolate from
Salt Spring Island, Canada”
Senior laboratory technician, SQZ Biotechnologies
 
Gabriela Vasquez (Co-advised with M. Tibbetts) '19
BSN program
 
Daisy Noe '19
“Exploring the Effects of a Novel Microbial Inoculant, Janthinobacterium, on Glycine max Growth”
Currently: PhD Student, Penn State University

Hannah Henry '19
"Antibiotic-Mediated Biofilm Enhancement in Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa" 
Research Assistant, Bard Prison Initiatives

Michael Kuckyr '19
"Analysis of Bacterial Membrane Structures Which Alter the Effectiveness of Violacein's Antibacterial Function"
PhD Student, University of Pennsylvania
 
Henry O'Donnell '19 
Investigation of Genes Related to Quorum Sensing in Iodobacter BJB302 
Currently: Research Assistant, UCSF

Lexi Akingbade '18, BSN
“Impact of Acidity on Vibrio cholerae in Foodborne Environments"
RN/BSN/NP Program, Emory

Lily Brennessel '18
“Impact of Electronic Cigarette Smoke Vapor on Biofilm Production in Staphylococcus aureus” 
Currently: Graduate Student in PA program

Slav Skular '18
“Investigations into the Mechanisms of Violacein Mediated Death in C. elegans”
Currently: Research Assistant- Sloan Kettering

Jackson Barr '17
“Constructing a Novel Conjugate Vaccine for Cholera: Conjugation of a Protective Vibrio cholerae Virulence Factor to Dextran by Squaric Acid Chemistry” 
Currently: Clinical Research Coordinator at the Cottage Health Research Institute

Sophia Konstantine '17, (Bard) MAT '18
“An Investigation into the Anti-nematodal Properties of Janthinobacterium lividum using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model” 
Currently: Middle School Science Teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School

Dynte' Moore '17
“Potentially Pathogenic: The Classification and Examination of Environmental Vibrio Isolates Sampled from Water Sources Along the Gulf Coast and the Bahamas” 
MPH, Tulane
 
Kelsey O'Brien '17, PhD
“The Genomic Characterization of Oxalobacteraceae Isolates from the Hudson Valley region: A Proposed Genomic Pipeline” 
Currently: PhD Penn  Microbiology

Biz Osborne-Schwartz '17, Bard MAT
“Attachment of Vibrio cholerae to resistant starches to improve oral rehydration therapy”
Currently: 

Cassandra Savino '17 , MPH   
“Lime juice as an abundant and affordable mechanism for prevention of food borne cholera infection.” 
MPH, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

​Katherine Moccia '16, PhD (U Tennessee Knoxville)
“What makes a healthy aquatic environment?
Investigating the Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing Material Glutaraldehyde on Bacterial Communities”
Currently: Biology Assistant Professor, Wagner College
 
Alessia Zambrano '16, D.O. (Touro)
“Examination of violacein-producing Janthinobacterium species’ biofilm structure”
D.O. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pediatric Residency
Allergy and Immunology Fellow

Deanna DePietro '16, MPH
“Exploring Copper Tolerance in an Aquatic Janthinobacterium species: An Examination of Biofilm Formation and Viability for Environmental Applications” 
MPH, Health Promotion at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health
Connect Participant Engagements Coordinator, NCI

Yegor Dukashin '16, DDS
“Examination of the Activity of Glycosyltransferases in the Development of Streptococcus mutans Biofilms in Response to Sucrose” 
DDS, University of Buffalo

Dre Szegedy-Maszak '16
“Optimization of the Microbial Fuel Cell for Use in Novel STEM Pedagogy”
Currently: Operations and 21 CLCC Grant Manager

Tytravia Riley '16, MBA
“The Interaction between Violacein Producing Bacteria and Metarhizium anisopliae F52” 
MBA

Abby Soussan '15,
“Investigation of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Zoospore Movement in Response to
Violacein-Producing Bacteria”
University Edinburgh Veterinary Medicine 

Alexander Page '16
“The Antibacterial Activity of Tryptophan-derived Pigments Violacein and Deoxychromoviridans
on Four Common Bacterial Strains”
Currently: Georgia Emerging Infections Program (EIP) Research Assistant

Georgia Doing '15, PhD (Dartmouth)                                     “Machine Learning on Images of a Microbial Mutant Library”
(Joint project with Computer Science Program)
PhD, Dartmouth Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
Post Doc: Oh Laboratory, Jackson Labs
Visiting Assisstant Professor, Computer Science, Union College

Mildred Kissai   '15                                                                 (Joint Project with Chemistry Program)
Currently: Graduate Student at the Scripps Research Institute

 Kody Chen '15, DACM, MSTOM, LAc, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)®                                                                         “Synthesis and Assays of Potential Anti-Cancer Ruthenium-Ferrocene Compounds”                  
(Joint project with Chemistry Program)
Doctorate and Master’s degrees Pacific College of Health and Science (PCHS)

 Francesca Di Rienzo '14, MS, PhD Candidate                      “Design and development of a chitin-based method for Vibrio cholerae filtration”
Msc. in Clinical Psychology, The University of Edinburgh. 2016.
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin. Expected 2028.


 Molly North '14, BSN (Thomas Jefferson)                            “Transposon based analysis of violacein production in Janthinobacterium lividum”
Currently: BSN/RN

Neena Marano '14                                                                  
“Characterization of biofilm production in Janthinobacterium lividum”
Currently: Chief of Staff, Reaction Biology,           
Assistant Soccer Coach Haverford College

Julia Les '14                                                                           
“Biofilm production and swarming motility of Pseudomonas putida in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotic chloramphenicol”
Rails Developer, Annkissam LLC

Adenike Akapo  '13, DDS   (NYU School of Dentistry)          
“Do soil microbes inhibit the growth of oral microbes? A natural antibiotic treatment for dental overgrowth”
Practicing in Brooklyn

Raed Ibraheim '13, PhD (UMass Medical School)                  "Evidence for the presence of colonization factor GlcNAc binding protein A in Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor biotype variant”
Senior Scientist, CRISPR Theraputics

Perry Anderson '13                                                                
“Carbon source effect on violacein production [in] Hudson Valley aquatic microbial isolates”
Fullstack Developer

Alexia Downs '13                                                                    
“Colonization and conjugation in Vibrio cholerae: the possible link between the GbpA attachment factor and the presence of IncA/C multidrug resistance plasmids”
Teach for America Fellow in Los Angeles, CA
Head of Customer Operations, Canvas Medical

Margo (Finn) Zaval '13                                                            “An Investigation of the Molecular Mechanism of Quorum Sensing in Janthinobacterium lividum”
Currently: Research Associate III, Seattle Genetics

Lena James '13                                                                       
“Effects of chitin on conjugation frequencies of the multi-drug resistant plasmid IncA/C from donor Aeromonas salmonicida AS03 to recipient Vibrio cholerae BAA-2163 (Haitian epidemic isolate)”
Currently: Senior Analyst at 2SeventyBio

Erin Smith '13, MAT '17  (Stanford University)                         “The effects of violacein-producing bacterial strains on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis using a novel chytrid-killing assay”
2017 Knowles Teaching Fellow
Currently: AP Biology Teacher at San Lorenzo High School

Sara Yilmaz '13                                                                       
“Acquiring multi-drug resistance in aquatic environments: the role of chitin in conjugation frequencies of the IncA/C plasmid between Aeromonas salmonicida subs. salmonicida AS03 and Vibrio cholerae MQ1795 (Bangladeshi isolate)”
Currently: Testing Technologist, Biomat, USA

 Liza Loza  '13, PhD  (Washington University)                      “Survey of vernal pools in the Hudson Valley yields bacterial isolates which inhibit the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis”
Currently:  Post Doc, University of Wisconsin

Sining Leng  '12, PhD (Harvard)                                             “Characterization a mutation in the gene IRE1 using a cooperative tumor model in Drosophila: role of the unfolded protein response in cancer"
Currently: Clinical Scientist, Janssen

Jananie Ravi '12                                                                     
“Characterization of differences in biofilm formation and violacein production in environmental strains of Janthinobacterium lividum”
Educational Coordinator

Emma Taylor Salmon '12 MD  (Drexel)                                  
“Examination of transfer frequency of a multi-drug resistant plasmid to Vibrio cholerae via conjugation”
MD: Drexel School of Medicine
Pediatric Fellow, Yale
Pediatric Infectious Disease

Veronica Steckler '12
“Environmental detection of bacterial with anti fungal activity against the amphibian pathogen Batracochytrium dendrobatidis: a preliminary survey of Janthinobacterium in the Hudson Valley”

Joshua Tanner  '11                                                                 
“Interruption of vioC in a Janthinobacterium sp. mutant produces a green pigment structurally similar to chromoviridans”
Currently: Senior Specialty Sales, AmGen

Alexandra Bettina,'10, PhD (University of Virginia)            
“The preliminary identification and classification of Janthinobacterium hyper-violacein producing mutants as effective anti-microbial agents”
Director, Regulatory Affairs, Lilly Gene Therapy

Jyoti Dev '09, PhD (Harvard Medical School)                       “Co-localization and interaction of a retroviral Gag protein with cellular caveolin-1 protein”
Currently: Senior Director, Simon Kucher

 Will Wylie  '09, MD (University of Rochester)                     “Predation effectiveness and biofilm composition in Bdellovibrio and its prey”
Resident, UNMH

BSRI Students

2010
Alexandra Bettina

2011
Joshua Tanner

2012
Lena James
H. Sara Yilmaz
Ashley Beaulieu (St. Joseph’s College, Standish ME

2013
Molly North
Griffin Burke
Emily Hoelzli
Shailab Shrestha

2014
Georgia Doing
Yangtsho Gyaltshen

2015
Yegor Dukashin
Kelsey O’Brien
Raneem Jo’Beh (Al Quds)

2016
Kelsey O'Brien

2017
Lexi Akingbade
Philippine Alba

2019
Allegra Cooper
​Julia Gibson
Sasha Medjo-Akono

2025
Habiba Musah
Gio Matitashvili
Kerri Tran