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Jessica Kane, Animal Behavior ’17, was among 60 undergraduates nationwide selected from approximately 500 applications for the Council on Undergraduate Research's (CUR) annual poster conference, "Posters on the Hill," on April 22 –23 in Washington, D.C.

As stated on CUR’s website, “This event is intended to help members of Congress understand the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly with the students whom these programs impact.”

Under the mentorship of Teresa Dzieweczynski, Ph.D., associate professor in the ��������ϲ����� Department of Psychology and coordinator of Undergraduate Research for the College of Arts and Sciences, Kane traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with and present her research to members of congress, congressional staff and federal funding agencies. While at the capital, Kane had the opportunity to describe her research and discuss the importance of undergraduate research opportunities with members of multiple congressional offices, including Senator Angus King himself. This is the third student project from Dzieweczynski’s lab selected for this prestigious event.

 “Being selected for Posters on the Hill is an impressive accomplishment for any student, let alone a student who is currently only a sophomore,” says Dzieweczynski. “I have always seen something special in Jess, but it is gratifying to see her hard work and research efforts recognized on a national scale. Posters on the Hill is an especially important event as it requires students to not only present their research but also to reflect on the ‘big picture’ behind their line of inquiry and the skills they have obtained through faculty-mentored research. Jessica’s story and her research will also help convince our nation’s government to support undergraduate opportunities and projects in the STEM disciplines at a wide range of institutions, which is all the more important during these times of funding cuts.”

It is clear that Kane herself recognizes the invaluable skills and experiences she has obtained by seeking out the opportunity to conduct research. “The skills that I have developed through the research process, such as conducting literature reviews and designing, implementing and presenting my own research study have supplemented my education inside and outside of the classroom,” says Kane. “The conceptual knowledge that I have acquired through scientific inquiry has helped me refine my academic interests and professional aspirations. In general, being involved in research has helped to prepare me for life beyond my undergraduate career. I believe that all undergraduates should have the opportunity to participate in the research process as it helps them to develop crucial skills in critical and creative thinking, scientific literacy, and communication.”

About the experience of presenting at Posters on the Hill, Kane stated, “Prior to the event, I was intimidated by the thought of presenting my research to my peers, let alone to members of Congress. However, all my nerves disappeared when I was standing beside my poster discussing the details of a project that I am proud of and an issue I feel motivated by. To receive enthusiastic support from representatives was very rewarding. Yet, it was humbling that these influential political figures were looking to me for information about an important environmental issue with which they were unfamiliar. At that moment, I understood the importance of my advocacy, not only for my research question, but also for supporting undergraduate student research through policy and increased funding support.”

Kane’s research study examined how exposure to an estrogen mimic affected mate choice in Siamese fighting fish. She found that females exhibited a strong preference for unexposed males when given a choice between individuals that were unexposed and exposed. Given the increased prescription of pharmaceuticals and the lack of removal of these compounds during wastewater treatment processes, aquatic organisms are exposed to these endocrine disrupting chemicals at greater frequencies. Kane’s study clearly demonstrates that this exposure can have negative fitness consequences as males will experience decreased mating success due to female avoidance of exposed males.

The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. The Posters on the Hill event is part of the council's effort to ensure that those in the U.S. Congress have a clear understanding of the research and education programs they fund. Additional information is available at .