The TASDC now holds annual international conferences that not only promote science, but also encourage individuals from a wide array of fields to work with one another to improve the scientific domain in Tennessee and nationally. To learn more about our past international conferences, click here.

Our next international conference will be held in 2025.

TASDC RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM AND COMPETITION – 2025

March 27, 2025

A Virtual Conference

Organized by

Tennessee Association of Science Department Chairs

Walters State Community College, TN

Sponsored by

Virginia Research Institute, USA

Conference Proceedings Link

Zoom Link:

TASDC Research Symposium 2025

Conference Proceedings

Program

8:00 am – 8:05 am: “Introduction” - Dr. Mary Griffin Ph.D. – Chair of the Conference, Tennessee Association of Science Department Chairs, TN

8:05 am – 8:20 am: “Welcome” - Dr. Brock L. Fisher Ph.D. - Vice President for Academic Affairs, Walters State Community College

8:20 am – 8:40 am: “TASDC Vision” - Dr. Eugene de Silva, Ph.D. FRSA - President Tennessee Association of Science Department Chairs, TN

8:40 am – 9:00 am: “Our Commitment to Research” - Dr. Matthew Smith Ph.D. – Dean of Natural Sciences, Walters State Community College, TN

9:00 am – 9:30 am: “ Soft Skills Revolution" - *Guest of Honor* - Prof. Murage Athula Ranasinghe Ph.D., Professor Emeritus University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and Associate Professor, Head of Economics Department, University of Fiji. Fiji. 

Undergraduate Student Speakers

9:30 am – 9:50 am: “Economics for Her: How Pink Pricing Hurts American Families" - Shanna L. Holt, Northeast State Community College, Blountville, TN

9:50 am – 10:10 am: “ Exploring the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Surgery" - Poster -  Hailey Lawson, Walters State Community College, Morristown, TN

10:10 am – 10:30 am: "Effect of UV radiation on sunscreen protecting the human microbiota of the Skin" - Danielle McCarter, Walters State Community College, Sevierville, TN

10:30 am – 10:50 am: “Food Safety" - Poster  - Jennifer Heylek and Claudia Cummings  – Roane State Community College, Harriman, TN

10:50 pm – 11:10 am: “Applications of Evolving Electric and Magnetic Systems" – Erin Hencye, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN

11:10 am – 11:30 am: "American Ginseng: Ginsenoside Benefits and Impact on Gut-Microbiota" - Savannah Kayser, Walters State Community College, Niswonger, Greeneville, TN 

11:30 am – 11:50 am: “Accessibility for the Visually Impaired in Dendrology" – Kodi Ogle and Ay-La Boschee, Walters State Community College, Niswonger, Greeneville, TN 

11:50 am – 12:10 pm: “The Cotton Gin" - Karina Laureano Ruiz, Walters State Community College, Morristown, TN

12:10 pm – 12:30 pm: “Aristotle's Everlasting Legacy" – Emily R Stupariu , Pellissippi State Community College, Knoxville, TN

12:30 pm – 12:50 pm:  "Exploring the potential of sunscreen protection on the survival and growth of normal skin microbiota" - Katie Cuup, Walters State Community College, Sevierville, TN

12:50 pm – 1:10 pm: "Face of Death" - Poster -  Cassandara Joy. F. Boone,  Motlow State Community College, McMinnville, TN

1:10 pm – 1:30 pm: “Isolation and characterization of phage Azureus" - Presley Stevens,  Columbia State Community College, Columbia, TN

1:30 pm – 1:50 pm: “Targeting Antibiotic Resistance with Bacteriophages : A Solution to the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis" - Luisa I. Buzard , Columbia State Community College, Columbia, TN

1:50 pm - 2:10 pm: “Fungal Endophytes in Cucurbita" – Teagan Manuel, Walters State Community College, Niswonger, Greeneville, TN

2:10 pm – 2:20 pm: “Vote of Thanks” – Dr. Lisa Eccles, Ph.D., M.S., DLM(ASCP), C(ASCP), TN e-Campus Developer and Mentor, Phi Theta Kappa Advisor.

Judges: Prof. Elena Owen MS and Prof. Terry Rawlinson Ph.D.

Please submit your registration to receive our zoom link to connect to the conference.

Registration

We take this opportunity to invite you to this conference which will automatically give you the membership of the TASDC.

All queries must be sent to eugene.desilva@ws.edu or call 8653239074.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

• Please Register online. Registration

• After registering, please Mail any fees (if applicable) to:
  Prof. Eugene de Silva
  Department of Natural Science,
  Walters State Community College
  500 South Davy Crockett Parkway
  Morristown, TN 37813-6899

• Please Email Your Abstract to eugene.desilva@ws.edu

Registration Fee: None

Presenters receive one year membership of TASDC.

Please submit your registration to receive our zoom link to connect to the conference.

FORMAT FOR TITLES AND ABSTRACTS SUBMISSIONS ONLY

• The title should be written in 14 – point, Times New Roman.

• Type the title in bold.

• Following the title, type in 12-point, Times New Roman, the first name, middle initial (if desired), and last name of each author. Do not include academic degrees. This should be center aligned under the title.

• The authors’ names should be followed in italics by the official name(s) of the academic institution, in addition to the corresponding city and state (no abbreviations).

• All other information should be written in 12-point, Times New Roman.

• All paragraphs within the work should be left justified.

• The title “abstract” should be in bold and should be center aligned.

• The text of the abstract should begin one line after the title “abstract” and should be left justified.

• The abstract should be written as a single paragraph and should not exceed 150 words. The abstract should include at least three key words.

• The abstract should state concisely the purpose, objectives, results, and conclusions.

• Scientific names should be indicated by italic type.

• When referencing work, choose MLA, APA, or Chicago/Turabian style and be consistent throughout the work.

• Please send your abstract to registrar@tasdc.org or eugene.desilva@ws.edu

Format for Full Paper Submissions

Instructions for Contributors:

1. The title should be written in 14 – point, Times New Roman.

2. Type the title in bold.

3. Following the title, type in 12-point, Times New Roman, the first name, middle initial (if desired), and last name of each author. Do not include academic degrees. This should be center aligned under the title.

4. The authors’ names should be followed in italics by the official name(s) of the academic institution, in addition to the corresponding city and state (no abbreviations).

5. All other information should be written in 12-point, Times New Roman.

6. All paragraphs within the work should be left justified.

7. The title “abstract” should be in bold and should be center aligned.

8. The text of the abstract should begin one line after the title “abstract” and should be left justified.

9. The abstract should be written as a single paragraph and should not exceed 150 words. The abstract should include at least three key words.

10. When referencing work, choose MLA, APA, or Chicago/Turabian style and be consistent throughout the work.

11. The paper should have relevant headings. All headings should be center aligned and written in bold.

12. Scientific names should be indicated and should be italicized.

13. All figures, diagrams, photographs, or other similar media should be formatted for electronic or hard-copy publishing.

14. Authors must submit a written statement noting that the work is their own, and where necessary copyright permission has been obtained. Authors must also submit evidence of the permission that has been obtained. Once paper has been accepted, authors will be sent a form to fill and confirm this information.

15. Authors must provide the TASDC and Virginia Research Institute with written permission to use the submitted work.

16. Authors must confirm that the submitted paper has not been published or submitted elsewhere.

To access the journal, you need to receive permission. Please email,  registrar@virginiaresearchinstitute.org

Submission Requirements

Papers must be submitted in a suitable form for publication. This includes standard word processor formats. Of these, the preferred format is the latest version of Microsoft Word. The documents may incorporate figures or attach separate figures with clear references. Figures are required as bit-mapped images in GIF, TIFF or JPEG format, or original photographs or printed figures can be scanned for a small charge.

The suggested scan formats for different types of image are:

Color photographs and drawings – 24-bit color saved as a JPEG image

Black-and-white photographs – 8 bit grey scale saved as a JPEG image

Black-and-white drawings – 1-bit monochrome saved as a GIF image

Please note that any animation, video and sound files may take a very long time to load and a decision on the suitability of such material for publication will be made by the editorial board. There is no limit to the number of words/pages per paper. The editorial board reserves the right to request changes or reduction. Your paper should be e-mailed to the Chairman of the Editorial Board with a covering note stating your affiliations and a statement confirming that the paper has not been published elsewhere or submitted for publication in any other journals. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that all permissions are received from relevant parties including co-authors before the submission.

Guidelines for Oral Presentations:

1. An abstract of the presentation must be sent to the organizer prior to the deadline.

2. If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, this must be sent to the organizer prior to the deadline. An oral presentation is limited to 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes of question time.

3. If you use any other visuals, then these can be submitted on the day of the presentation.

4. You must submit the complete paper to the organizer prior to the deadline. Please check the guidelines given on the website for submitting the full paper.

5. Handouts are not required, but if you choose to bring handouts to your presentation, you should bring a sufficient number of copies.

6. A good oral presentation will:

   • Summarize your research succinctly: stating your thesis/argument/objectives/purpose, literature review, and research methods

   • Present the evidence/results that support your thesis

   • Point out any conclusions you have reached

   • Explain the larger significance of your research for your field

   • Include a reference page following any suitable format such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

Guidelines for Poster Presentations:

1. An abstract of the presentation must be sent to the organizer prior to the deadline.

2. Display the posters in the assigned area. To ensure consistency in presentation formatting, your poster must be assembled on either a 30” x 40” or 36” x 48” poster presentation board.

3. Posters may also be printed on a large-scale printer. Suggested dimensions that work well for printed posters are 24″ x 36″, 36″ x 44″, or 36″ x 48″.

4. An abstract of the presentation must be sent to the organizer prior to the deadline. Your abstract should be between 100 – 150 words. The abstract should include the title, affiliation, and key words. The font should be Times New Roman 12 point. The text should have a left margin of 0.25 inches.

5. The poster should be available on the day of the presentation 10 minutes prior to the poster presentation time. Posters must be left in the area until the organizer requests them to be removed.

6. The poster must consist of a title and other sections related to your project, and posters should include both text and graphics.

7. A good poster presentation will:

   • Summarize your research succinctly: stating your thesis/argument/objectives/purpose, literature review, and research methods

   • Present the evidence/results that support your thesis in graphic or text format

   • Point out any conclusions you have reached

   • Explain the larger significance of your research for your field

   • Include a reference page following any suitable format such as APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.