Three Westminster College Students Present Research at Seminar

Three Westminster College students recently presented their summer research at the 5th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Logan Edmiston, Katie Krone, and Jennifer Reese, all Merck Scholars in Westminster's Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Research Program for 2002, presented posters describing their research.

"My research dealt with the isolation of genes involved in sex determination in a species of algae, Volvox carteri," said Edmiston. "We have isolated what we believe to be the mid gene, which is involved in determining whether the algae will become male or female."

"I attempted to characterize fish 5'-nucleotidase through immunoblotting techniques," Krone said of her research "Characterization of Fish Gill 5'-Nucleotidase."

"My research showed that zebra mussel feces and pseudofeces alone did not effect the benthic microbial community," said Reese. "When in combination with nitrogen and phosphorus, the feces and pseudofeces did alter the microbial community appreciably."

Edmiston, a junior biology major, is a son of John and Kathleen Edmiston, New Wilmington, and a graduate of Wilmington Area High School.

Krone, a senior chemistry major, is a daughter of David and Karen Krone, 240 Princeton Court, Sebastopol, Calif., and a graduate of Analy High School.

Reese, a sophomore biology major, is a daughter of Samuel Reese, 103 Bartholomew Road, New Galilee, and Kim Reese, Wampum. She is a graduate of Mohawk Area High School.

Dr. Josh Corrette-Bennett and Dr. John Robertson, assistant professors of biology at Westminster College, accompanied the students and served as judges for poster and oral presentations.

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

More Stories