By Dan Ryan, Bethune-Cookman Athletic Communications


RELATED: White Named @BCUAthletics Women Of The Year

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – COVID-19 has denied student-athletes across the globe the chance to compete and showcase their talents on the athletic fields this spring.

Bethune-Cookman volleyball player Miranda White was denied the opportunity to present her scientific research on Capitol Hill last month.

Kind of puts "One Shining Moment" into perspective, doesn't it?

The senior from Downey, Calif., was one of 60 presenters selected for the National Council on Undergraduate Research's 24th annual Posters on the Hill event, originally scheduled for Washington, D.C. on April 20-21. Her project, "Using a Bayesian Conditional Probabilistic Model to Identify Efficient Environmental Indicators of Harmful Algal Blooms Within the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA," used a time series of analyses to determine strategies for algal bloom control along Florida's east coast.

Instead of appearing in front of members of Congress, White's presentation was posted virtually via twitter – and retweeted on B-CU volleyball's official twitter feed and by her teammates.

"Going to Washington and presenting to Congress would have been surreal," White said. "It is amazing that the Council of Undergraduate Research offers the opportunity for undergraduate students to present their unique research to their state senators. What an honor it was to be selected."

Adding to the honor is that White is the first B-CU student selected to participate in the program, according to her advisor, Dr. Michael A. Reiter.

"The program is extremely competitive," Dr. Reiter said. "Explaining your work and its importance to federal officials and their staff members would certainly be memorable in person, but she was still able to present her work and field questions and comments from government officials of many levels using an alternative on-line platform."

White saw this as more than just a photo opportunity.

"Being a part of the scientific community, I have a responsibility of communicating what is happening in the scientific realm and why it is important to everyone's daily lives," White said. "Creating change is more than reusing, reducing, and recycling, it is the self-realization that humans are the only species that have the power to impact the evolutionary fortunes of all other species on the planet."

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is an estuary along the eastern coast of Florida that has lost 75 percent of its salt marsh area to support agriculture and city development, contributing to habitat loss and fragmentation and reduced water quality of the system. The replacement of permeable surfaces to impervious surfaces along the coastline has effectively altered the functionality of the natural watersheds in the area, leading to harmful levels of nutrients entering and infecting the lagoon. Pollutants coming from the inland waters not only create adverse conditions for aquatic organisms in the lagoon, but also trigger the production of algal blooms. Among them is the presence of a "brown algae" that leads to fish kills.

White's research showed that the lagoon's nitrogen levels have been historically limited and suggested long-term possibilities to improve water quality.

"The great thing was the versatility of Bayes' Theorem. You can apply this model to almost any ecological system, which could help to assess the indicators and thresholds that are being used to predict certain bloom occurrences," White said. "It's also exciting to delve into environmental science with professors at Bethune-Cookman University who are strong advocates for HBCU STEM research experience." 

B-CU head volleyball coach Brittany Williams realized White's passion for science back in her freshmen year when the team was moving from summer dorms into fall residence. White came out carrying large trash bags filled with discarded water bottles from the entire team for recycling. For the next three years, all the discarded boxes and bottles were set aside for White.

"I was like 'Wow! Miranda, you're going to save the world!'" Williams laughed. "Her love for working towards making this world a better place is apparent in not only how she treats others but also in how she works to do her part to help this planet."
 
The daughter of Mercy and Donnell White, White was a four-year letter winner for the Lady Wildcats. She was the first student accepted into B-CU's Integrated Environmental Science (IES) Program that allows students pursue both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in five years in addition to field experiences and collaborating with government, academic and private practitioners.

As White continues pursuit of her doctorate degree in Environmental Engineering, she'll continue her research work with the B-CU IES and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal Marine Ecosystems.

So that time presenting her research in front of a governmental board? An opportunity deferred. 

"This career opportunity will allow me to propose improvements to existing environmental policy and regulations that center around sustainable practices to our government officials," White said. "So yes, I totally see myself before Congress!"