A group of Elizabethtown College School of Science and Health students recently traveled to the 43rd Dynamics Days Conference in Denver, Colo. from Jan. 3 to 5. The conference brings together participants from around the globe to discuss the theory and applications of nonlinear dynamics and complex systems.
“I am proud of the time and effort the students put into their research projects and of how well they represented Etown at the Dynamics Days Conference,” Elizabethtown College Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Desmond Yengi said. “Attending the conference provided our students with invaluable learning experiences, networking opportunities, and allowed them to contribute to the scientific community.”
Yengi attended the conference with Neil Divins ’25, Andrew Hoch ’25, Samantha Small ’26, and Elizabethtown Area High School senior Lillian Ross, who participates in research at the College. Divins, Hoch, and Small have been working on their projects since the summer of 2024 through the Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP), and each gave poster presentations on their work.
“It meant a lot to me to be able to present my research at a conference of this caliber,” Hoch said. “To watch as the culmination of my work over the course of a year finally be compiled and showcased on a poster was a dream come true.”
Divins presented “Effects of Sodium Bromide and Sulfuric Acid on the Belousov-Zhabotinskii Reaction,” Hoch presented “The Effects of Bromate and Sulfuric Acid Concentrations on BZ Propagating Wave Patterns,” and Small presented “Effects of Temperature and Sulfuric Acid Concentration on Pattern Formation in BZ Chemical Reaction Systems.”
Yengi guided the students in designing and running experiments, analyzing data, and interpreting results.
“I think this experience, along with my work with Dr. Yengi, has done a lot to help me be more mentally prepared to shift from a college environment to either a graduate school or workplace environment,” Divins said. “Not every undergraduate can say they traveled across the country just to present on their research!”
In addition to presentations, students also attended keynote speaker presentations throughout the three days of the conference. The trip to the conference was made possible, in part, thanks to funding provided by the Dean of Students Office, and Summer Research Enrichment Grant funds.
