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Student scientists present their research at professional conference in Denver

A cohort of 31 Ransom Everglades students exhibited their research at the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit, the largest physics research conference in the world, in Denver March 15-20. Representing the school’s Young Researchers Program (YREP), students from all four grade levels at the upper school presented 18 distinct projects – four of which were recognized with conference awards.
Student authors Aditya Arul ’26, Aaliyah Asghar ’26, ZiXuan Wang ’29 and Sabine Wolfensberger ’27 earned Top Presenter recognition for A Longitudinal Study: Mangrove Leaf Microbiome Change Over Time.

Three other student groups earned Honorable Mention in the contest among some 400 posters: Luciana Adatto ’27, Lucas Chen ’28, Caitlyn White ’27 (Physics of Mangroves: Species Diversity in Urban Mangrove Habitats; Christopher Carruthers '28, Victor de Souza '28, Daniel Depass-Jurberg '28, Cohen McDaniel '28 (Cost-Effective Optical Tweezers Using The Open Flexure Microscope); and Garoe del Coso Pena ’27, Raif London ’29, Sebastian Pita Mendez ’27, Lucas Praca ’27 and YREP alumni Carlos Horcasitas '25, Leah Vela '25 (LIBS + Dirt: Heavy Metal Detection in Soil Through LIBS).

Under the leadership of YREP director/physics teacher Emily Grace and faculty mentors Heather Marshall, Kristine Stump, Miranda Klees, Paul Natland ’02, Bob DuBard and Maddy Quirke-Shattuck, RE's talented student contingent worked on their posters and research for months, then engaged with some 14,000 members of the international scientific community under the theme "Science for a Shared Future." 

A significant milestone was achieved by three students, Dominique Cederberg ’26, Oliver Duwin ’26 and Wes Griffin ’26; their research was accepted into American Physical Society (APS) in sections outside of the undergraduate category, a rare distinction for high school researchers.

Two students, Cederberg and Oliver Duwin ’26, earned high praise for their oral presentations in the Plant and Fungal Physics section. Their talks, which focused on environmental impacts on urban mangrove structures and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, along with a presentation by Dr. Grace, were noted by session attendees as highlights of the category. Ian Villaraos ’26, Neale Villaraos ’26, Max Wolfensberger ’26 and Minnie Zhou ’26 also gave individual talks.

The students' projects spanned a wide range of scientific topics, including Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), mangrove soil microbiome longitudinal studies, and the development of wave-tank prototypes to measure coastal stress. 

RE's delegation included alumni Carlos Horcasitas ’25 and Leah Vela ’25, both of whom presented their own continued research while serving as mentors to the current generation of RE students.

“I firmly believe that all interested students deserve access to original research,” Dr. Grace said. “These young researchers are asking real questions and doing work that holds up in professional spaces. Watching  young scientists realize that they belong in scientific spaces is the best part of doing this program.” 
 
Find full details on the student projects on the YREP website.
 
Student Speakers and Projects
Project Title
Presenters/Authors
Dominique Cederberg ’26
Oliver Duwin ’26
Ian Villaraos ’26
Neale Villaraos ’26
Maximilian Wolfensberger ’26
Minnie Zhou ’26
Luciana Adatto ’27, Lucas Chen ’28, Caitlyn White ’27,
Connor Alfonso ’26, Simone Carrasco ’27, Maoheng Cui ’29, Matias Dovarganes ’26
Aditya Arul ’26, Aaliyah Asghar ’26, ZiXuan Wang ’29, Sabine Wolfensberger ’27,
Thomas Wesley Barnett ’26, Auguste Houlle ’27, Sofia Rhone-Fernandez ’26 Virginia Seabrook '26
Christopher Carruthers '28, Victor de Souza '28, Daniel Depass-Jurberg '28, Cohen McDaniel '28
Garoe del Coso Pena ’27, Raif London ’29, Sebastian Pita Mendez ’27, Lucas Praca ’27
Lisel Green ’26, Isabela Pulido ’26
Wes Griffin ’26
Anne Minick ’27, Sara Uribe ‘28
Carlos Horcasitas ’25 (RE alum)
Leah Vela ’25 (RE alum)
Emily Grace (RE faculty)
 
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. It is rated the top private school in Miami and among the 10 private schools in North America. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.


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