By: Rick Jackson

Delaware State University stood tall among a plethora of other college students from various universities at the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Washington D.C.

DSU was represented by two stand out students who won first and second place at the competition, Andrew Blake and LaTaijah Crawford.

Both students created poster presentations in the biological science competition on the role of acetylcholine release in the locomotion of drosophila larvae.

The overall atmosphere was very professional but through it all Blake was able to deliver his presentation in a clear and concise manner.

“I think what separated my presentation from others was the actual delivery of my poster, and not the poster itself. I was able to explain every aspect of my poster in order so that it made sense to the judges and other spectators, and I was able to answer any questions that people had. I think a big thing that contributed to making my presentation stand out was the relevance it had to the lives of human beings. Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases that are prevalent in the world today, so that probably caught the interest of people.”

Blake’s first place winning earned him a monetary  prize in which Blake stated,

“I’m not sure how much the check is worth, but any amount is great since I wasn’t even expecting to come in first.”

This event brought out some of the brightest students from all around the country, but Blake proved to be the brightest of them all. If you see Andrew Blake around campus, be sure to congratulate him.