Posted on Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Nanette Tomicek, a Westminster College senior biology major, recently presented "The Effect of Amphotericin B on Gill Membranes" to the eighth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences held at the University of Maryland.
"I tried to determine if amphotericin B increases water influx across gill membranes," Tomicek said. "I'm using gill membranes because they specifically act to restrict water movement to maintain hyperosmotic conditions inside the fish. In biology, amphotericin B is primarily used as a fungicidal antibiotic, and my data indicates that amphotericin can also act on vertebrate cells to produce detrimental effects."
"This is a significant regional conference highlighting undergraduate science research and represents a good way for students to share their work with others in a professional and comfortable environment," said Dr. John Robertson, assistant professor of biology and supervisor of Tomicek's honors project.
Tomicek is a daughter of Donald and Stephanie Tomicek, North Apollo. She is vice president of the biology honor society Tri Beta, secretary for the Phi Mu sorority, and public relations chair of Mortar Board, a senior leadership honor society. In addition to being a member of S.A.D.D. and Fresh Start, Tomicek is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a junior leadership honor society.
Contact Robertson at (724) 946-7044 or e-mail robertjc@westminster.edu for more information.
