Trinity STEM Scholars Earn Top Honors at NASA DC Space Grant Awards

All four of Trinity’s NASA D.C. Space Grant Scholars won poster awards at the 2023 Annual D.C. Space Grant meeting in February 2023. The meeting included a poster competition and awards ceremony. Trinity STEM Scholars received four of the seven awards presented. The Trinity students competed with other D.C. Space grant students from the other D.C. universities that are part of the DC Space Grant consortium.

“I am extremely proud of all our students and how much they have grown since they started their internships this past summer,” said Dr. Anette Casiano-Negroni, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Trinity who mentors the NASA Scholars.

The four Trinity students received monetary awards and will be writing article about their research projects published in NASA’s “The INSPIRE Journal” magazine.

The four Trinity Scholars who were honored by the NASA D.C. Space Grant program are:

First Place: Martha Rondon (Biology, senior, graduated December 2022): “Harmful Air Pollutants: PM2.5 and Black Carbon in Washington, D.C., Neighborhoods Impacted by Diesel Truck Traffic.” Her Trinity Faculty Research Mentor is Dr. Shizuka Hsieh.

Honorary Mention: Rosa Lopez (Junior, Biochemistry): “Camera Trapping (of Wildlife) in Urban Areas: Open vs. Shaded Locations.” Her Trinity Faculty Research Mentor is Dr. Patrice Nielson.

Honorary Mention: Cecilia Rivas (Sophomore, Forensic Science): “Screening of Phenolphthalein in Weight Loss Supplements Using Reverse-Phase HPLC.” Her Trinity Faculty Research Mentors are Dr. Anette Casiano-Negroni and Ms. Georgina Nicholls.

Honorary Mention: Stephanie Matamoros (Sophomore, Chemistry): “Carbon Nanotube Yarn Supercapacitor Integrated Sensing.” Her Faculty Research Mentor is Dr. Abot from The Catholic University of America.

Trinity Media Contact: Ann Pauley, pauleya@trinitydc.edu  202-884-9725

Watch Videos of the STEM Scholar’s Poster Research Presentations:

First Place: Martha Rondon (Biology, senior, graduated December 2022): “Harmful Air Pollutants: PM2.5 and Black Carbon in Washington, D.C., Neighborhoods Impacted by Diesel Truck Traffic.” Her video presentation: 

Honorary Mention: Rosa Lopez (Junior, Biochemistry): “Camera Trapping (of Wildlife) in Urban Areas: Open vs. Shaded Locations.” Her video presentation:

Honorary Mention: Cecilia Rivas (Sophomore, Forensic Science): “Screening of Phenolphthalein in Weight Loss Supplements Using Reverse-Phase HPLC.” Her video presentation: 

Honorary Mention: Stephanie Matamoros (Sophomore, Chemistry): “Carbon Nanotube Yarn Supercapacitor Integrated Sensing.”  Her video presentation:

Trinity Media Contact: Ann Pauley, pauleya@trinitydc.edu  202-884-9725