AU student wins top poster award

Junior Abbi Dingus, who is a double major in Biology and Biochemistry, won the top undergraduate poster award (a $300 prize) at the Ohio State University Plant Sciences Symposium, which was held March 30th in Columbus, OH.  Abbi's poster, entitled "Density-dependent growth responses of Arabidopsis to copper: High densities are beneficial for efficient contaminant uptake," summarizes work done for her Honors' thesis under the direction of Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer (Chemistry) and Dr. Soren Brauner (Biology).  Collaborating on the project is Dr. Aki Sinkkonen of the University of Helsinki.

Abbi's work explores the mechanism for unexpected decreases in the toxicity of copper at high plant densities, and by using mutants of Arabidopsis that do not release citrate from their roots, provides evidence that the release of citrate can bind copper in the soil.  At high plant densities with normal plants, the higher concentrations of citrate can reduce copper toxicity.  Her work is relevant to the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with metals, which is a major global problem, and to ecotoxicological testing methods, which typically do not consider the importance of plant density.  Abbi will make an oral presentation of her work at next week's URCA Symposium, which will be held on Tuesday, April 9th.

Ashland University to Host 59th Annual Mohican District Science Day

From the Ashland University News Center – A total of 219 students from 36 schools are expected to converge on the Ashland University campus Saturday, March 23, for the 59th annual Mohican District Science Day.  Sponsored by the Mohican District Junior Division of the Ohio Academy of Science, the event will be held in Ashland University’s John C. Myers Convocation Center.

According to Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer, professor of Chemistry at Ashland University and Science Day director, all projects displayed at the district fair have received superior ratings in local school district science fairs.  The students participating will represent high schools, junior high/middle schools and fifth and sixth grades in eight different counties: Ashland, Erie, Holmes, Huron, Lorain, Medina, Richland and Wayne.

“We are very pleased with the total number of students and the number of participating schools this year,” Weidenhamer said.  “Students do hands-on experiments, collect and analyze data and draw conclusions, rather than just reading and reporting what someone else has done.  Many projects are original and creative.”

The public is invited to view the science projects from 12:30 to 2 p.m.  Registration for the day begins at 7:30 a.m., with judging to start at 9 a.m.  Awards will be presented during a public ceremony at 2 p.m.

The top 66 projects at the district level from students in grades 5-12 will be eligible to advance to the state competition at The Ohio State University on May 11.  

Weidenhamer said this year’s event will include approximately 100 local judges and volunteers from education, industry, business and medical professions.  “We cannot do this event without the help of all of our volunteers and the facilities and the support provided by Ashland University,” he said.

Weidenhamer thanked Council President Jeff Steele who assists with the administration of the science fair, the Mohican District Council members, and volunteers who work in a variety of capacities prior to and throughout the day, for the countless hours they contribute to the success of the annual event.

He also stressed that, “this event would not be a successful and rewarding experience for our local students without the hard work and commitment of science teachers and the support of their school districts in fostering increased science, technology, engineering, and mathematics literacy.”