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ASU Biology Students Win Regional Awards

April 05, 2012

Angelo State University’s chapter of the Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) biological honor society brought home several top awards from the Tri-Beta South Central Regional Meeting March 30-April 1 at the Oklahoma University Biological Field Station in Kingston, Okla.

Senior biology major Katelynn Frei was the big individual winner for ASU as she earned the Frank G. Brooks Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research in Biology for her project presentation titled “Patterns of Habitat Use and Competition Between Nine-Banded Armadillos and Hog-Nosed Skunks.”  The award includes an expenses-paid invitation to present her project at the Tri-Beta National Meeting May 16-20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Scheduled to graduate in May, Frei is a nominee for the ASU Presidential Award that goes to the top student in each graduating class.  She is vice president of the ASU Tri-Beta chapter and South Central Region president for the 2011-12 academic year.  Her faculty research mentor is biology professor Dr. Robert Dowler. 

In group contests at the regional meeting, the ASU chapter won first place in the Chapter History Competition and for Chapter Web Page Quality.  During the business meeting portion, ASU’s Josh McGuire was elected as the South Central Region secretary for the 2012-13 academic year. 

In all, 18 ASU Tri-Beta students attended the regional conference along with faculty advisor Dr. Crosby Jones Jr.  They competed against Tri-Beta representatives from 16 other universities in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Additionally, ASU biology students Austin Osmanski, Paula Galloway, Christina Leto and Candace Frerich have submitted abstracts of their research projects that were accepted for presentation at the Tri-Beta National Meeting. 

Tri-Beta is a society for students, particularly undergraduates, dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research. Since its founding in 1922, more than 200,000 people have been accepted into lifetime membership, and more than 553 chapters have been established throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.