Student Presents Research on Capitol Hill

Bridget Waller presented the results of her undergraduate research in Washington, D.C., on April 24 during the 17th annual Posters on the Hill program sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Waller, a senior biology major, joined 60 undergraduates nationwide in presenting their research to legislators during an evening poster session in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. Waller was the only participant from the state of Missouri.

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Truman student Bridget Waller speaks with Sen. Roy Blunt in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., April 24.

Waller’s research project titled “Impact of Alcohol on Embryonic Development using a Nematode Model Organism” was conducted in the lab of Timothy Walston, assistant professor of biology.

This project contributes to efforts to establish the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for human neural tube defects.

As part of the program, Waller toured the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and attended congressional appointments. Waller met with Sen. Roy Blunt and Rep. Sam Graves, and spoke with staffers in the offices of Sen. Claire McCaskill and Rep. Ann Wagner to promote undergraduate research and support for higher education.

Waller’s participation in the event was sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

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