Full-time research internship with the U.S. EPA

Brenda Parris (Toxicology/EVS ’03) is an environmental scientist at the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water of the U.S. EPA in Cincinnati.  She is looking for recent college graduates to fill two paid intern positions.  Start dates may be in January or possibly June of 2013.  Applications must be postmarked by September 30, 2012.  

Contact Dr. Rebecca Corbin, Associate Professor of Chemistry, for additional information about this opportunity.  Ashland science alumni and graduating seniors are encouraged to apply.

Biology major volunteers as HIV/AIDS prevention educator in Tanzania

Gina Laginya, a senior Biology major from Youngstown, Ohio, spent this summer helping educate local Tanzanians about HIV/AIDS prevention with the Global Service Corps.  Gina writes that:

"I had the best time in Tanzania. Words cannot describe the amount of growth and realization I experienced from being outside of my comfort zone. East African views and culture is tremendously different than ours. Being submerged into the Tanzanian way of life has allowed me to truly understand world problems with a new perspective. I am more than grateful for the knowledge and experience that I gained while in Tanzania. I would suggest fellow students to consider an international volunteer opportunity, as I found my experience to be life altering."

Gina is interested in pursuing a career in health care in the area of community medicine.  This volunteer opportunity in international health arose through conversations with Ashland University's Global Education Office Director, Rebecca Parillo.  If you are interested in investigating possible international internship, course, or volunteer options check out our new study abroad for science students wiki page, or the Global Education Office webpage.

Ashland microbiologist publishes new review article

Paul Hyman, Assistant Professor of Biology at AU, along with his OSU colleague Stephen T. Abedon, have published a review article in CAB Reviews entitled "High-affinity and -specificity, bacteriophage-based technologies: beyond phage therapy."  Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacterial cells.  In this minireview, they examine technologies that take advantage of the very specific interactions of bacteriophages with their bacterial hosts to develop new medically-oriented tests and pharmaceuticals.  These technologies include phage display which is used to develop pharmaceuticals and biomaterials as well as several bacterial detection methods for more rapid detection and diagnosis of bacterial contamination or infection.

Dr. Hyman is currently conducting research with several Ashland University biology majors in one of our newest faculty/student research labs.  This lab was part of $1.4 million in renovations that took place in the Ashland Science Center this summer.

Summer course heads to Great Smoky Mountains

This summer Dr. Dick Stoffer taught his summer course on the Ecology of the Great Smoky Mountains, which includes a camping and hiking trip to Tennessee.  One of the students on the trip this year, Junior toxicology major Cassie Nix, shared some pictures with us.

One particularly exciting night required Dr. Stoffer to move a timber rattlesnake out of the campsite.  You can see some video of that operation here.

Timber Rattlesnake

Flame Azalea

White Tail Deer Doe