Posted on Friday, February 27, 2004
Jennifer Reese, a junior molecular biology major at Westminster College, recently presented her research titled, "Detection of Smooth Muscle Myofilaments in Fish Gill Using Immunoreactivity," at the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) in Seattle.
"Jennifer was nominated and accepted based on the work she did at Westminster last summer," said Dr. John Robertson, assistant professor of biology at Westminster College. "Her project involved investigating the expression of contractile proteins in a particular type of cell in fish gills. Because the contraction of these cells helps regulate blood flow in the gills, understanding the mechanisms and regulation of this process is of physiological interest."
"I was able to learn many new things because the conference offered a variety of seminars and talks to attend," Reese said. "I attended a proteomics seminar, a vaccine seminar, a talk about the use of ultrasound to treat prostate cancer, and a talk about ocean conservancy."
"I'm not sure if this event changed any of my goals, bit it definitely motivated me to keep pursuing the goals that I do have like attending graduate school and getting a job in the research field," Reese continued. "I was able to see that the possibilities and opportunities are endless, and that there are many other people who have the same interests as I do."
"This was a terrific opportunity for a student made possible through our association with the Merck/AAAS program," Robertson said.
Reese is a daughter of Samuel and Kim Reese from New Galilee, and a graduate of Mohawk Area High School.
For more information, contact Robertson at (724) 946-7044 or e-mail robertjc@westminster.edu.
