Winners announced from the 18th annual Student Symposium on the Environment

December 12, 2025

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.– Westminster College has announced the winners from the 18th annual Student Symposium on the Environment held on campus on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

More than 140 regional graduate students, college students, and high school students attended the symposium featuring environment-focused research, projects, internships, service work and artwork. Schools represented included Westminster College, Chatham University, Dickinson College, Duquesne University, Geneva College, Hiram College, Saint Vincent College, Slippery Rock University, Thiel College, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Youngstown State University, Knoch High School (Saxonburg, PA), Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy (Boalsburg, PA), and Wilmington Area High School.

Seventy-one projects were presented among six main categories: Environmental Research Posters, Environmental Project Posters, Oral Presentations, High School Research Posters, Creative Works, and Video Production.

Winners:

Chatham University student Abigail Barton earned first prize for her Research Poster presentation, “Relationship of Hydrophyte Structural Complexity and Macroinvertebrate Diversity in a Northeastern Wetland.”

Shelby Rambo of Westminster College won for her Environmental Project Poster presentation, “Hands-On Conservation: A Field Internship with the Soil & Water Conservation District.”

Hallie Hughes, Avery Keenan, Talia Kosonovich, Shelby Rambo, Jamie Robertson, Rachel Summers, & Nicholas Vitale earned the top prize for their Oral Presentation, “An Integrated Study of Water Quality, Biodiversity, and Stakeholder Perception of Passive Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage on PA State Game Lands 095.”

Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy students Caleb Foytack, Madison Koshko, Gordon Kauffman, and Thomas Rokita took first place in the High School Research Poster category with “An Analysis of Water Quality in Centre County, PA.”

Westminster student Morgan Myers garnered first place in the Creative Works category for her watercolor, field guide scientific illustration, “Nighthawk.”

In the Video Production category, Elena Macdonald, from Westminster College, took first place with her video “Buzzfeed Macro Photography Reflection.”

Honorable Mentions went to:

Hiram College’s Lillian Katz and Archie Ladage for their Research Poster presentation “Impacts of Beech Leaf Disease on Photosystem I in Healthy and Unhealthy American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Leaves.”
Westminster College’s Avery Keenan for his Environmental Project Poster, “Developing Field Experience and Professional Expertise Through an Environmental Consulting Internship.”
Chatham University’s Elizabeth Long for her Oral Presentation, “Effects of Macrobenthic Invertebrates on Ammonium Fluxes in Bellingham Bay.”
Knoch High School’s Caden Hassler for his High School Research Poster “Better Burps.”
Westminster College’s Phoebe Schultz for her photograph “Buzzing” in Creative Works.
Valen Henry of Westminster College for the Video Production of “Final reflection on macro photography.”

Winners selected in the symposium’s six categories were awarded cash prizes sponsored by BioMost Inc. and Stream Restoration Inc. All awardees also received a certificate.

The 19th Student Symposium on the Environment will be held on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026. The annual event is sponsored by the Harms Center for the Environment at Westminster College and the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition.