Mount celebrates student research at 2026 SURE presentations

The annual Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) at Mount Saint Mary College wrapped up with a series of compelling student presentations held on Thursday, July 9, and Friday, July 10.  

For nearly two dozen dedicated scholars, the program offered an unparalleled opportunity to pursue their own diverse research projects. 

SURE is an opportunity for students to work alongside Mount professors as they explore a research topic of interest to them. SURE students enjoy getting out of the classroom and experiencing scholarly work in their discipline, one-on-one with their professors. 

This year, the students completed nine distinct research projects. 

In their project “Isolation and Characterization of Novel Bacteriophages,” student researchers Lalan Khan, Michael Figeroa, and Alexa Matthew, under the mentorship of Associate Biology Professor Suparna Bhalla, successfully isolated and characterized three novel bacteriophages (bacteria-killing viruses). 

Using environmental soil and water samples from local creeks and lakes, the team set out to find phages targeting the bacterium Arthrobacter globiformis. Through enriched isolation, they made history by discovering the first-ever recorded water-derived A. globiformis phage. 

The team successfully purified and named three genetically unique phages: “Nila” (meaning “blue” in Hindi), “Valtiel” (named after a creature from the Silent Hill video game series), and “Little Lolly.”

By extracting the phages’ DNA and analyzing their genetic fingerprints, the researchers confirmed that each represents an entirely distinct species. This genetic diversity is highly promising for medical science. As Figeroa noted, “This also makes them incredibly good for antibiotic resistant bacteria, and they can be used to treat life threatening bacterial infections.”

The other eight SURE projects this year were:

• “In Vitro Evaluation of Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation on Representative Gut Microbiota,” by students Mark Aparicio, Kayla Mendez, Anabelle Rivera, and Mark Villanueva with faculty mentor Mouhamed Halwani, adjunct instructor of Microbiology.
• “Testing the Effect of Licochalcone A on Cellular Proliferation,” by student Samma Alybey with faculty mentor Suparna Bhalla, associate professor of Biology.
• “Bug Bounty Bingo,” by students Issiah Figueroa, Esteban Meza, and Josiah Maddicks with faculty mentor Micah Model, assistant professor of IT.
•  “Swimming Through the Science: The Hidden Respiratory Effects of Chlorinated Pools,” by student Kate Cervan with faculty mentor Jodie Fahey, associate professor of Chemistry.
• “Investigating the Innate Immune Response to OxyVita: A Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carrier,” by student Kylie Estrada with faculty mentor James Moran, associate professor of Biology. 
• “Intentional AI Use in Higher Education: One Tool, Different Outcomes,” by students Hannah Caron and Bianca Franco with faculty mentor Rebecca Berry, assistant professor of Psychology.
• “Between Minds and Mirrors: Maladaptive Daydreaming, Identity, and the Self We Build in Our Heads,” by student Ciara Cruz with faculty mentor Anne Ferrari, associate professor of Psychology.
• “Mini-Mount: MSMC in 2D,” by students Ennis Cruz and Leandro Ortiz with faculty mentor Lee Fothergill, professor of Mathematics. 

Plans are already underway to continue the SURE program next summer.