The 13th Annual High School GIDAS Research Conference
Infectious Diseases
Keynote Speaker
Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, MS
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Dr. Arturo Casadevall is Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A physician-scientist and microbiologist, his research focuses on host defense mechanisms, fungal pathogenesis, and the development of antibody-based therapies for infectious diseases.
Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026 (12:00 pm – 5:30 pm Eastern Time | 9:00 am – 2:30 pm Pacific Time)
Location: Hybrid (online or one of the following in-person sites)
– University of Michigan, Undergraduate Science Building: 204 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
– Scripps Research Translational Institute: 3344 N Torrey Pines Ct, La Jolla, CA 92037
– University of San Francisco, Mission Hall: 550 16th Street in San Francisco, CA 94158
Participants: Open to the public, including middle school students and adults.
Fees:
– General registration fee: $40 (workshops included)
– Presenter registration fee: $80 (1 conference proceedings included in the fee; $50.00/person if they have miRcore membership)
– Accompanying parents: Free ($10 donation suggested)
– Conference proceedings (abstract booklet): $20 (If the proceedings need to be mailed, there is an additional USPS postal fee of $12)
If you present, you will…
– Meet professional scientists and connect with peers who share your interest in science
– Grow in professionalism through researching, writing, and presenting on science topics
– Develop public speaking skills in a larger group setting
– Compete for science presentation awards
Registration
Only after you register the conference, you will get access to the abstract and “About Me” submission. Please use the same email used in conference registration. You are qualified as a presenter if you are an author of an Abstract.
| Instructions | Form link | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
|
All attendees:
If your payment is different from the above drop down menu, please use the following form to describe your payment and pay custome amount. |
April 12, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET) | |
| Each abstract: Have a single author submit your abstract using the form (i.e. the same abstract should not be submitted by each co-author). Abstracts will undergo a review to qualify for oral presentations and to be included in the conference proceedings (abstract booklet). You can access the form only after you register the conference above. |
Abstract submission | April 12, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET) for poster presentation |
| All abstract authors: Submit your About Me using the form. These will be included in the conference proceedings along with your abstract. You can access the form only after you register the conference above. |
About Me submission | March 29, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET) |
| Presentation material for each submitted abstract: Have a single author submit your presentation or poster using the form.Please note that the link will be open one week before the conference date. |
Presentation Material submission | April 15, 2026, 11:59 PM (ET) |
Conference Agenda
| 11:30 – 12:00 pm ET (8:30 – 9:00 am PT) |
Check-in |
| 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET (9:00 – 10:00 am PT) |
Workshops – Atomic Habit: Activity to learn selfcare tools led by Ms. Veena Thamilselvan – GEO2R and String-db: Learn computational resources used in the research process – Transition from high school to college: Interact with college students to hear their experiences and to ask questions – miRcore and High School students: Talk with parents led by Dr. Inhan Lee |
| 1:00 – 1:05 pm ET (10:00 – 10:05 am PT) |
Greetings from miRcore President Inhan Lee, Ph.D. |
| 1:05 – 1:55 pm ET (10:05 – 10:55 am PT) |
Student Oral Presentations I Session Chair: David Burke, Ph.D. – Andrea Zou, Avantika Nair, Anantika Nair. Trained Immunity: GBP’s Role in Addressing Antibiotic Resistance – Rishika Kurma, Dvir Sacho-Tanzer, Anish Sundar, Ava Toolan, Evelyn Gelman, Hilary Lakinam, Philip Tesic. Disrupted Metal Ion Homeostasis and Glial Cell Differentiation in the Hippocampi of Post-acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Patients – Anna He. HIF-1–Associated Glycolytic Reprogramming in RSV-Infected Infants – Abia Khan. MAPK-Mediated Immune Dysregulation in Sepsis: Activation of Pro and Anti- Inflammatory Pathways – Eva Patel, Derek Yu, Divya Ganesan, Nicki Yazdi. Subversion of Cellular Senescence as an Immune Dysregulation Mechanism in Human Cytomegalovirus Infection – Hansini Dhulipalla, Vera Nikonov, Aisha Mohiuddin, Isabelle Bonavia, Alina Ali. ARG1 Regulation in Neutrophil Specific Granules: A Therapeutic Target for Tuberculosis – Pradyun Gowda, Sarah Chung, Debakshi Mondal, Alex Tsiklauri, Lexi Garcia, Madison Koo, Alexandra Herrmann. Preventing MRSA-Driven Inflammation by Targeting PVL-Induced AP-1 Transcription in Neutrophils |
| 1:55 – 2:05 pm ET (10:55 – 11:05 am PT) |
Break |
| 2:05 – 3:05 pm ET (11:05 am – 12:05 pm PT) |
Poster Session |
| 3:05 – 3:15 pm ET (12:05 – 12:15 pm PT) |
Break |
| 3:15 – 4:00 pm ET (12:15 – 1:00 pm PT) |
Keynote Address: Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, MSBloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health |
| 4:00 – 4:25 pm ET (1:00 – 1:25 pm PT) |
Interaction Activities with other GIDAS members |
| 4:25 – 4:30 pm ET (1:25 – 1:30 pm PT) |
Break |
| 4:30 – 5:15 pm ET (1:30 – 2:15 pm PT) |
Student Oral Presentations II Session Chair: Henry Paulson, M.D., Ph.D. – Aiden Kang, Huzaifah Khan, Aarav Jain, Evan Hecksel. Shared Inflammatory Signaling and Increased Tuberculosis Susceptibility in Rheumatoid Arthritis – Saahithi Poluri, Isha Agarwal. HIV Rewires the Host Response to Tuberculosis: A Mitochondrial-Epigenetic Signature Specific to Co-Infection – Case Duda. Upregulation of Type I Interferon-Stimulated Genes in SARS-CoV-2 Infection – Aadit Sood, Nakshatra Jakkula, Rohit Pandravada, Rajiv Tirumala, Saharsh Myneni, Kedar Kamath.Upregulation of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Pathways in Malaria Links Activating and Inhibitory Immune Signaling – Crystal Zhu, Kazuhiro Takagi, Gabriella Castellino, Jooeun Lim, Brady Shih, Ryan Kang, Geetansh Dhuria, Thomas Lucas. Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Proteasome Enrichment and FOXO Suppression in HTLV-1 Viral-driven ATL Leukemogenesis – Alan Zhang, Rishan Momen, Shiva Arunchunaikani, Olti Jakupllari. Upregulation of APOA1, APOB, and APOA4 in Metachronous Recurrence of Gastric Adenocarcinoma Following H. pylori Eradication |
| 5:15 – 5:40 pm ET (2:15 – 2:40 pm PT) |
2025-26 GIDAS Activity Reports and Conference Awards |
| 5:40 pm ET (2:40 pm PT) |
Closing |
Oral Presentations
We selected 12 oral presentations among abstracts submitted by March 28. We thank all, abstract judges, for their scoring the abstracts. Certificates will be given to the best three presenters/groups based on their scores.
Poster Presentations
All virtual poster presenters (including Honorable Mention) should prepare a six-minute (maximum) presentation to pitch their research to conference attendees (flexible format; simply deliver the content in an engaging way).
Poster Examples Here
Poster Judges
These professionals will engage each poster presenter in a discussion about their research and provide feedback.
Popular votes
The general audience will also vote on poster presentations.
Certificates
Certificates will be given to the best three poster presenters/groups as graded by the judges; the three most popular posters, as selected by conference attendees, will also receive certificates.
Abstracts
See our Abstract Format page for submission guidelines and instructions.
Conference Proceedings
Photo Art: Stephanie Prechter
Past Conferences
Click here to view the booklets from past conferences.
Here you can find information about the conferences from past years.