NTC Congratulates Fall 2025 Research and Idea Symposium Poster Winner
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Last month, Newcomb-Tulane College held the Research and Idea Symposium, where over 65 students representing 40+ majors showcased their NTC-funded research projects. This year, a vote was held to determine the event's top posters and research. We are pleased to congratulate Meryl LaRue, a Newcomb-Tulane College senior, for winning Best-in-Show for her research and poster on the effects of agroforestry on carbon stocks in the Ecuadorian Chocó Rainforest.

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Meryl, an earth and environmental science major with a Spanish minor hailing from Dublin, Ohio, leveraged a grant from Newcomb-Tulane College to complete field and lab research at the Foundation for the Conservation of the Tropical Andes (FCAT) field station in Ecuador's Chocó Rainforest as a TIERA (Tulane Interdisciplinary Environmental Research and Action) Scholar. While here, Meryl compared agroforestry systems to primary forest and traditional cacao plantations to determine the impact of land use on carbon stocks. 

"I was inspired to pursue this grant because I received an NTC grant last summer to pursue a similar project at FCAT, where I projected the impact of forest restoration treatment types on future carbon stocks," says Meryl. "I was also encouraged to apply for funding by Catie Mae, TIERA’s Program Manager, and by my advisers from when I was a Stamps Scholar and a College Scholar."

Meryl aims to pursue a career in conservation and climate change mitigation research with the hopes of completing a PhD program. "Receiving this grant allowed me to develop my research design skills, field research skills and data analysis skills, which will enable me to succeed throughout my research-focused career," says Meryl. 

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"Receiving this grant allowed me to develop my research design skills, field research skills and data analysis skills, which will enable me to succeed throughout my career in research." — Meryl LaRue


"I am honored to be recognized as the winner of the poster contest. This project would not have been possible without the support of my friends and teammates at FCAT, my mentors at Tulane and the support of NTC. Planning and completing this project has helped me to learn and grow so much as a researcher. I am very grateful to everyone who has contributed to this project and for the recognition," says Meryl.

The advice she'd give to others seeking out grants from Newcomb-Tulane College? Start by making an appointment with the advisers in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. "This will help you understand exactly what the application is asking for and how to approach it before you begin writing," suggests Meryl. She also recommends asking for feedback from mentors. "My faculty mentors and Catie Mae gave me great advice and feedback as I wrote many drafts of my grant application, which helped me greatly improve my grant writing skills."

 

 

We commend Meryl for her work and congratulate the other winners of this year's research poster contest:

  • Most Interesting Experience: Sara Neupert, Fidelity Prime Brokerage Summer Experience
  • Best Interdisciplinary Exploration: Riley Purdy, Advancing Sample Handling Strategies for Improved Tumor Margin Visualization
  • Best Use of Archives or History: Amanda Schoaf, Diastolic Dysfunction in a Mouse Model
  • Best Visual Poster Design: Allegra Giussani, Bridging Leadership Merchandising and Retail Strategy
  • Most Surprising Discovery or Conclusion: Emelia Cooperberg, Effects of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasounds
  • Most Likely to Change the World: Mariana Pirela, Optimizing Lattice Structures in Tibial Implants

 

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