Two Greenville University Students Recognized at Annual Biomedical Research Conference
Published: October 06, 2025
Author: Lydia Cahill
While many students spend their summer break resting or working, two Greenville students dedicated their time to groundbreaking research, investigating how a bacterium in the stomach reacts with different kinds of sugars.
Not only did Wanda Gomez and Thy Duong successfully complete their research, but they are also headed to one of the nation’s leading scientific conferences to present their findings this November.
The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from November 19 to 22. Hosted by the American Society for Microbiology, the conference promotes multidisciplinary science and workforce development. It brings together scientists from diverse communities to share research aimed at addressing today’s challenges and shaping tomorrow’s discoveries.
From Summer Research to Scientific Breakthrough
For Gomez and Duong, their research journey began much sooner than this summer. Their journey began last October at a biology department meeting, where faculty members presented summer research opportunities. Gomez and Duong teamed up to work under Dr. Micah Forshee, a professor the pair had known well from various biology and microbiology classes.
However, once they began their project, it wasn’t without challenges. The research partners would have to overcome obstacles in the lab and concoct the most difficult formula of all—good teamwork.
“There are a lot of things that did not go as we planned,” Duong said, “We had different results. Wanda’s measurements were higher than mine, so I told her, ‘We have to do it again.’ We repeated the tests many times until our results were consistent. At first, we were nervous; we did not know what had happened to our test tube. We tried to replan, reorganize, and make the bacteria again.”
“We solved it by trying again and again until we got it right,” Gomez concluded.
Persevering in the Lab
Both Gomez and Duong attribute their perseverance and eventual success to their partnership.
“Teamwork was the key,” Duong said confidently, “I think that we could not do our experiment without each other.”
“I used to, in other projects and classes…have other team partners, and they were annoying. I just wanted to do it for myself, but with Thy it is different. We connect, we know what we are doing,” says Gomez.
After their triumph in the lab, Gomez and Duong faced an even bigger challenge: who would submit their project to the ABRCMS?
“The person who submits to paper is the one who’s going to go,” Gomez began.
“Only one person can go to the conference,” Duong agreed.
An Unlikely Path to the Conference Stage
The partners could not decide; they had both worked on the project, so how were they going to determine who would enter the project? Even if the work was accepted, only one of them would be able to go.
However, Professor Forshee had an innovative solution. Gomez and Duong would split the work, with each taking ownership of one part of the research, so that both could be accepted to the conference. Forshee warned them of the risk: if the pair split the work, each of them would have less material to present, but both would have a chance to go.
Fortunately, the risk paid off, and both Gomez and Duong were accepted to the conference.
“There are thousands of competitors,” Duong said, “We were nervous, did not know if we would be accepted or not, but then we received an email from the conference. My mind exploded.”
“I could not believe it,” said Gomez.
Faith and Discovery Along the Way
However, for this lab duo, being accepted to the conference means more. As international students, Gomez from Honduras and Duong from Vietnam, their success had a larger impact. For both students, the opportunity was more than academic—it reflected resilience, faith, and a sense of discovery.
“When I came here, I was like, ‘What am I doing here? I want to go back.’ I had to learn English, and this is a new language for me. I thought that ‘There are probably people better than me.’ However, the key is to trust yourself. You always need to believe in yourself,” said Gomez.
“Trust yourself, and if you are interested in something and you want to do it, just try to pursue it, and you don’t have to be afraid of what result may come to you,” Duong echoed.
Gomez and Duong also hope that their success lays a path for future GU students down the line.
“We demonstrate that as undergraduate students at our age, we can achieve a lot of things. We can have a scientific mind, and we can start our path in our science,” stated Gomez.
“Our work can continue in further research, we just want to contribute a little bit that is going to make an impact in microbiology’s field,” said Duong.
Most importantly, this summer research experience has had an impact on Gomez and Duong’s faith.
“I have been a Christian since I was born because my family is Christian. I am grateful that I can belong in this country,” says Gomez, “I came here dependent, but God showed me
support. This is His way of responding to me—by giving me these opportunities.”
As a Buddhist, Duong views her walk with Christ differently, but it has still shaped her understanding of God.
“Since I came to GU, I think I have become more of a learner and have respect for God, and sometimes when I have hard times, I pray to him. I am truly grateful to him because he provided me with these opportunities. I think that this recognition and the recognition from the conference is a gift, a gift I receive from him. I am very appreciative of it.”
Just the Beginning
Where are Gomez and Duong headed in the future? What awaits them as they continue to excel in microbiology? Even though only God can answer these questions, their teacher, Professor Forshee, had a pretty good idea based on their continued excellence of character.
“Wanda's dedication to continually improving and persevering makes her a delight to have both as a student and as a student researcher. She always brings a positive attitude to her projects, which helps the lab even when unexpected things happen, which always occur in research.”
“For Thy - The curiosity and inquisitiveness within Thy is what every mentor cherishes. She will relentlessly pursue an issue until she solves the problem. Immediately following, her face will shine with the "aha!" moment, which is so wonderful to see. In microbiological research, questions are equally important as answers, and Thy always raises insightful, intentional questions crucial to our project.”
While the November conference marks the close of this season of research, Gomez and Duong are only beginning their journey in microbiology. As they continue to learn more, the skills of teamwork and perseverance they have learned this summer will stick with them well into the future.
As they take the stage at the national conference, their story reflects the perseverance, faith, and global vision Greenville University inspires in its students.
