Undergraduate
Cadet Hunter L. Bramley ’25 – Bowers Research Award Winner
Title: Age, growth, diet and reproduction of African pompano
Author: Hunter L. Bramley Faculty: Clinton Moran
ABSTRACT: African pompano (Alectis ciliaris) is a valuable commercial species, yet little is known about its biology, which is key for management decisions. This study examined age, growth, diet, and reproduction in specimens from Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Fish were collected, measured, and analyzed for gut content, gonads, and otoliths. Results showed rapid growth, reaching 5.5 kg within two years, with a maximum age of 9 years and 17.7 kg. Diet primarily consisted of cephalopods, with few fish remains found. Reproductive capacity varied, with gonad weight positively correlated to body weight, and female fecundity increasing with age. No clear seasonal spawning pattern was observed, suggesting continuous summer spawning. These findings provide critical biological insights to inform science-based management strategies.
William Boyd ’25 (Mathematics and Physics) – William Boyd has always shown a passion for mathematics and an eagerness to solve problems and learn new topics. He has exhibited a great understanding of the content covered in the mathematics classes he has taken. William regularly attends Math Club meetings and was elected president of the club for this current year. He also participated in the Math Jeopardy contest of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) Southeast Section annual meeting held at Coastal Carolina University in March 2023. In the fall of 2024, he completed a research project on Ulam number sequences. He studied the overlaps in the sequences and the percentage of overlaps of the prime numbers in the respective sequences. He used both Python and MATLAB for his research to gather data and analyze the same to reach never found results about the Ulam number sequences.
William is also pursuing a BA degree in Physics and was selected to be a participant in the Distinguished Scholars Program at The Citadel in 2024. During summer 2024 he interned for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through the Air Force Research Lab Scholars Program. He was awarded the AFRL Scholars Program’s Outstanding Scholar Award for his work on Optical Frequency Combs for Free Space Communications.
Tobias Wood ‘25 (Biology) – Tobias’ academic excellence is unparalleled. He has consistently excelled in several classes, including Natural Language Processing and Influence Operations, never failing to produce the highest quality of work. His exceptional major GPA of 4.0 is a testament to his dedication and intellectual prowess.
Beyond the classroom, Tobias has been conducting innovative research under Dr. Deepti Joshi’s guidance since Spring 2022. His work on parsing Arabic text data and producing classification models for the Arabic language is particularly impressive, considering he does not read or write Arabic. His ability to handle this data expertly speaks volumes about his analytical skills and adaptability. Furthermore, his role as the lead author on a paper classifying protest event reports in Arabic news highlights his research acumen and contributions to the field. More recently, Tobias has continued to work with Arabic text and expanded his work to train large language models (LLMs) to understand evolving conflicts in the Arabic speaking world. Tobias as the lead author, recently published a paper in the most prestigious international conference on big data – IEEE Big Data 2024 – with the title : “Conflict-RAG: Understanding Evolving Conflicts Using Large Language Models”. This paper proposes a novel framework on how to train LLMs on evolving conflicts and presents a case study on the Gaza conflict.
His leadership roles in the Citadel Cyber Team and Cyber Club demonstrate his commitment to the field of cybersecurity and his ability to mentor and guide others. Moreover, Tobis has consistently performed exceptionally at various national and international cyber competitions. He has placed among the top 100 students among the thousands that have participated in the National Cyber League for the past 3 years. He led The Citadel Cyber Team in obtaining 2nd place in Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition.
Hunter McDonald ’25 (Nursing) – Cadet Hunter McDonald is a senior-year nursing student who has consistently ranked at the top of his nursing class with a grade point average of 3.92. His classmates look up to him and seek his academic insight regarding complex nursing content. Hunter extends his academic knowledge as a nursing tutor in the Student Success Center. His eagerness to apply nursing theory to the clinical setting is routinely noted by his clinical professors and further reflected in his work as a Nurse Extern or Patient Care Technician since 2023.
He is actively involved in the Student Nurses Association. Cadet McDonald delivered a presentation to underclassman nursing majors about test taking strategies, the importance of staying on task, and how to be successful in the nursing program while maintaining the rigor of cadet life. Hunter genuinely wants others to succeed in nursing and to help build the nursing program at The Citadel. Cadet McDonald immersed himself in a student- faculty led research project with Dr. Ashley Bukay. His work focused on understanding cadet’s opinions about immunizations secondary to the long-standing impact of Covid-19.
Underclassman are influenced by Hunter’s knowledge and his ability to decipher complex nursing content. The nursing faculty are proud to have Hunter McDonald represent Citadel Nursing and are confident that he will eventually become a highlighted alumnus of the Swain Department of Nursing.
Grayson Dewald ‘25 (Biology) – Underclassman are influenced by Hunter’s knowledge and his ability to decipher complex nursing content. The nursing faculty are proud to have Hunter McDonald represent Citadel Nursing and are confident that he will eventually become a highlighted alumnus of the Swain Department of Nursing. Cadet William Templeton Grayson is an exceptional student and currently holds the top GPA among biology majors. He has been an honors program student from the beginning and is president of our newly organized TriBeta National Biology Honor Society chapter.
Known and well-liked by all faculty, Grayson has worked intensively with Dr. Gustafson on research with the endangered Gopher Frog. Together they are pioneering a technique to survey the presence of this frog using environmental DNA (eDNA) from pond water and Grayson will present their findings at the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Myrtle Beach during spring break 2025.
Citadel Graduate College
Ms. Logan Bacsal ’25 (Swain Department of Nursing) – Logan Bacsal is a senior-year nursing student who has maintained a grade point of average 4.0. This is a significant accomplishment in nursing. As a result of her academic honor, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society in Nursing.
Logan reinforces her learning through her work as a Patient Care Technician and in the role of a Nurse Extern. In the clinical setting, Logan’s attention to detail, and her patient-focused care is outstanding. To extend her nursing knowledge, she volunteered to attend a 3-day, large-scale disaster simulation in Syracuse, New York. This intensive hands-on learning experience broadened her understanding of the role that nurses play in disaster scenarios. Logan is well-respected by her classmates.
