A senior from Jamaica has earned top honors at a prestigious scientific conference for his work in plant genome research.
Solomon Theo Scheiner, a Bioinformatics and Computational Biology major at SUNY Old Westbury, won first prize for his oral presentation at the 2025 annual meeting of the Northeast Section of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). The event was held April 26–27 at the University of New Hampshire and drew top undergraduate and graduate researchers from across the region.
Scheiner’s research presentation, titled “Evolution of Insertions of Mitochondrial and Plastid DNA in the Nuclear Genome Across Arabidopsis thaliana Ecotypes,” examined how DNA from plant organelles is inserted into nuclear genomes—an evolutionary process tied to the endosymbiotic theory. The project, conducted in collaboration with Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Christos Noutsos, analyzed genome data from 80 plant species using advanced bioinformatics techniques.
The findings contribute to the broader scientific understanding of how plant genomes evolve over time and how organelle-to-nucleus DNA transfers play a role in that evolution.
The American Society of Plant Biologists, founded in 1924, supports research and education in plant science. Its Northeast Section includes universities and researchers from 10 states, including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The annual meeting offers a platform for emerging scientists to present new findings to peers and professionals in the field.
SUNY Old Westbury, part of the State University of New York system, serves over 4,600 students at its 604-acre campus in Nassau County. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and 16 graduate programs across the sciences, liberal arts, business, education and counseling.
Scheiner’s achievement not only brings recognition to SUNY Old Westbury’s research programs but also shines a spotlight on the growing representation of Queens students in the region’s scientific community.
