Three Westminster College Students Present Undergraduate Research

Three Westminster College students presented their undergraduate research at the Fourth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Maryland in October.

Logan Edmiston, Jennifer Lewis and Amandy Pinkney presented their findings of their 2001 summer research projects conducted at Westminster as part of the Merck-AAAS sponsored program.

Edmiston and Lewis presented "Permeabilization of the Fish Gill Barrier Epithelium by Bioactive Compounds."

"We tested the effects of three compounds, saponins, nystatin and filipin, on ligated fish gills," said Lewis. "We measured how much weight the gill gained when exposed to these compounds, and found that with all three compounds, the amount of weight gained was directly proportional to the concentration of the experimental solution."

"We found that saponins, recently found to have antitumor effects, resulted in increased permeability of fish gill epithelial cells," said Lewis. "Any change in the permeability of a cell could have dire consequences for that cell. These findings are significant because fish gill cells are similar in many ways to human cells of the digestive tract and lungs."

Pinkney's research is titled, "Phytoremediation of Cadmium and Arsenic by Mustard, Alfafa, and KY31 Tall Fescue Using Blastofiltration."

"I examined the ability of plants to remove heavy metal contaminants from water," said Pinkney. "This could be an application of cleanup of contaminated sites that is more environmentally friendly."

"The opportunity to present their own research at a scientific meeting is very valuable for students," said Dr. John C. Robertson, assistant professor of biology at Westminster College. "It gives them a change to put all their work and ideas together in one package,' and present that information to other researchers in a formal setting. It also gives them a chance to get important feedback from others in the field, and gives them a sense of accomplishment that can really make them feel confident about their abilities.

The students' research was done in collaboration with Dr. Martha R. Joseph, assistant professor of chemistry at Westminster College, and Robertson, who both accompanied the students to the symposium.

Edmiston, a sophomore biology major, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Edmiston, R.D. 1, New Wilmington, and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.

Lewis, a junior biology major, is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lewis, 2017 Lynn Ave., Youngstown, Ohio, and a graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School.

Pinkney, a junior biology major, is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Pinkney, 151 Sunset Dr., Washington, Pa., and a graduate of Trinity High School.

For more information, contact Robertson at (724) 946-7044 or e-mail robertjc@westminster.edu.

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