St. Lawrence University Biology Honorary Members Present at Regional Conference
Two members of St. Lawrence University’s Alpha Iota chapter of the biology honorary Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) recently presented research posters at a regional conference. On Saturday April 18th, 2026 biomedical sciences major Tafadzwa Musasa ’26 and neuroscience major Sara St. Clair ’26 attended the 2026 North East-1 District Convention hosted by the Theta Eta chapter at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The title of Tafadzwa’s poster was “Analysis of Estradiol Uptake in B16, HT22, and NIH3T3 Cells to Identify Extracellular Environment Conditions that Elevate Estradiol-Associated Disease Risk” and she conducted her research under the mentorship of Dr. Alana Belkevich, Microscopy Specialist. Of her experience at the conference, Tafadzwa noted that “attending the Tri-Beta District convention made me appreciate the value of my classes at St. Lawrence - both classes that are lecture-based and those with labs. Seeing presentations with applications of content from my Cancer Biology class and my Microbiology class among others, I learned that my education at St. Lawrence has equipped me to understand and participate in the Biomedical Sciences. It was validation that my coursework is very relevant!”
Sara’s research project “Quantifying Age-Dependent α-Synuclein Aggregation in Caenorhabditis elegans: Optimized Imaging Protocols and Mannitol-Based Interventions”, was co-mentored by Dr. Ana Estevez, Dana Professor of Neuroscience, and Dr. Alana Belkevich. “I really enjoyed being able to share my research with people who were equally excited about sharing their research, as well as learning about what other students have been doing” Sara said. She was also pleasantly surprised by how many other people were using C. elegans, the same model system she uses in her research.
The Alpha Iota chapter of Beta Beta Beta was established at St. Lawrence University in 1942. Beta Beta Beta formally defines itself as "an honor and professional society for students of the biological sciences." Tafadzwa and Sara both received Beta Beta Beta Undergraduate Research Grant funding from the national organization to support their research projects.