Ashland science athletes in the news

Tom Scott

A number of Ashland science majors are making an impact in their varsity sports this year.  Tom Scott (Biology '11) was just named the Midwest Region men's track athlete of the year by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and was named the male track athlete of the year at the GLIAC championships where he won the 800 meters with a time that ranks fifth in NCAA Division II.  Tom will be traveling to Albuquerque, NM to compete in the national championships this weekend.

Two other Ashland science students, Daiva Gerbec (Biochemistry '13) and Beth Mantkowski (Biology '13), are members of the Ashland University women's basketball team that made it to the final game of the GLIAC championship this past week.  Daiva was selected as a first team all conference pick prior to the conference final four, and was named to the South Division All-Defensive Team.  The AU women defeated Findlay to make it to the finals.  Go Eagles.

Daiva Gerbec

Beth Mantkowski

Study on Cadmium Bioavailability Published

Three Ashland University students who worked with Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer are co-authors of a paper on the bioavailability of cadmium in inexpensive jewelry that has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The research shows that young children who mouth or swallow jewelry containing cadmium may be exposed to as much as 100 times the recommended maximum exposure limit for cadmium. The research also found that damaged pieces of jewelry in some cases leached up to 30 times more cadmium than undamaged pieces. AU research previously highlighted the presence of high concentrations of cadmium in jewelry and helped spur several recalls of high-cadmium jewelry.

Students who participated in this research were geology and integrated science education major Jennifer Miller (’11), and toxicology majors Daphne Guinn (’11) and Janna Pearson (’10). Jennifer and Daphne will present a poster on their research in Washington DC next month at “Posters on the Hill,” an event which highlights the importance of undergraduate research and which is sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Jennifer’s and Daphne’s poster was one of only 74 selected from more than 700 applications for this event.

Cadmium, a heavy metal, can cause kidney, bone, lung and liver disease. Most human exposure comes from food or tobacco grown with cadmium-rich phosphate fertilizer. Health effects typically are not acute but instead result from chronic, long-term exposure. Because cadmium can accumulate in the body, all exposures should be avoided. Governmental agencies around the world are working to regulate cadmium use and disposal.

Environmental Health Perspectives is the top monthly journal in public, environmental, and occupational health and is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. News of the study has been picked up by a variety of news outlets around the world including ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, and CBC News. The work was supported in part by a grant from the Dr. Scholl Foundation.

Biology major heading to the UT Physician Assistant program

This is an exciting time of year as our students begin hearing about admissions to summer research internships, graduate schools and health related professional schools.  We are excited to announce that Katie Manocchio (Biology '11) will be entering the Physician Assistant Studies program at the University of Toledo later this year.  Physician assistants work with medical doctors to provide primary and specialty care in a career that is increasingly popular among students interested in working in medicine.  Of the hundreds of applicants for this year's class at the University of Toledo, 130 were invited for interviews and 40 were accepted into the program.

Molecular ecology program still accepting summer research applications

There are still a number of summer research programs with remaining application deadlines.  I recently received a notice that Towson State's molecular ecology summer program was not listed until recently on the NSF website, and consequently they have received few applications.  This 9 week program pays a stipend of $4000, free room and board, and now has an extended application deadline of March 15th.  You can read about potential research projects on their website.

The program also includes guest speakers, science ethics workshops, GRE prep sessions and trips to local spots like the Chesapeake Bay, Appalachian Trail, Baltimore and Washington D.C.

Ashland science students present research at the Ohio Statehouse

This past week a number of our students and faculty drove down to Columbus, Ohio for research presentations at the Ohio Statehouse hosted by the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.

Out of the more than one hundred research posters presented by students from over 30 Ohio colleges and universities, six were selected by area STEM high school students as being of particular interest.  Two of those six honored posters were from AU science students - Daphne Guinn ('11 Toxicology) and Zach Il'Giovine ('11 Biochemistry), both pictured below chatting with AU chemistry professor Jeff Weidenhamer.

Amy Drossman ('11 Biology, pictured below) presented her independent research as well.  Congratulations to Amy, Daphne and Zach for their strong representation of AU science at the Statehouse.

Summer research deadlines approaching

It has been exciting seeing so many science majors searching out and applying for summer research internships.  Hopefully you have found some that interest you.  Here are three more with varying deadlines:

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Neuroscience hosts a 10-week summer research program starting May 31st with a stipend of $3,500.  Applications are due soon - February 18th.

For the past two summers AU science students have taken part in the internship program at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio.  The application deadline for this 10-week program is March 15th, with stipends ranging from $2,000-$3,200.

Summa Health System runs a 6-week biomedical research internship program, with applications due March 11th.  Students in this program can work a flexible 6-week schedule and be paid $7.50 per hour.

As always, ask your faculty advisor if you have questions about these or any other summer research programs.

More Summer Research Opportunities

Deadlines are coming up soon!

NASA has a number of summer internship opportunities available for students. Details are available at http://intern.nasa.gov/ where you can search and apply to a variety of NASA opportunities. The deadline for applications is March 1st.

Research Experience at Wellesley College

for Women Undergraduates. AU alum Nikki Savig (Chemistry, ’03) had a great experience in this interdisciplinary chemistry program. Check the program website for details. The deadline for applications is February 9th.

Energy Research at Penn State. The Department of Chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University invites highly motivated undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors
to participate in cutting-edge chemistry research on energy. The deadline for applications is March 1st.

Clark University is hosting a summer research program for students with opportunities in large-area forest change monitoring, vulnerability analysis, and prediction of land use and land cover change. The deadline for applications is February 14th.