A Different Shining Moment Deferred For BCU's Miranda White

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 University 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, DC 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 BCU 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.

Read more on Miranda White via BCU Athletics