UNCP senior Cassandra Barlogio was recognized at the national Alpha Chi Convention in Oregon April 5-7.

Barlogio was awarded the Blake and Trish Janutolo Prize in Organismal and Ecological Biology for her presentation titled, “Discovering the Microbial Diversity of the Lumber River.”

Of the 250 student presentations, Barlogio was among 27 to receive prizes for the best scholarly, creative and artistic presentations in their field. She was awarded a cash prize.

Six other UNCP students – Mia Baxley, Aaliyah Weatherington, Jullienne Lim, Justice Pevia, Korrinne Bethel and Neveen Issa – also gave presentations. English professor Dr. Teagan Decker, assistant dean of the Honors College, attended.

Barlogio, St. Louis native, is studying molecular biology and conducts microbial diversity research with the Sandefur Lab. She will graduate in December and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in microbiology.

Alpha Chi, a national college honor society, accepts students who place in the top 10 percent of their class from all academic disciplines. Barlogio is a member of the UNCP Kappa Chapter of the Alpha Chi honors society.

Additionally, Barlogio, along with fellow UNCP student Joshua Cade, have been selected to participate in a 10-week research internship this summer at UNC Chapel Hill. They will be involved in research projects mentored by scholars with the SPIRE Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

The program runs May 20 through July 27.