Four Berry College students have earned thousands of dollars for their research in the upcoming academic year.
The 2016-2017 Richard Scholars are Hannah Youngblood, Jocelyne Miller and Tessa Howard. The 2016-2017 Synovus Scholar is Maddie Bess.
The Richards Scholars program is designed for junior and senior students. The goal of the program is to help students move beyond the excellent work characteristic of many Berry students to a superlative level through a one-on-one working relationship with a faculty mentor. This program awards $5,000 to Berry students and $1,000 to a faculty mentor.
The Synovus Sophomore Scholars Program awards $2,000 to students who are rising sophomores and $500 for faculty or staff mentors to support projects related to the student's exploration of academic, research or growth experiences such as research, internships, entrepreneurial service or work projects or artistic endeavors.
Youngblood will be doing real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), a method of DNA testing, on coral exposed to Diuron (an herbicide). It has been observed that Diuron is affecting algal cells growing within coral, but the herbicide seems not to affect the coral itself. Working alongside Associate Biology Professor Michael Morgan and 2007 Berry graduate Amy Anderson, Youngblood’s research project will determine how the herbicide is affecting coral.
“I am so thankful to Berry College and the Richards family for providing me with this opportunity. I can't wait to begin this research!” she said. “The implications of this project on marine ecology and toxicology are tremendous.”
Miller will exam how the relatively new voter ID laws effect voter turnout and demographics. She will look at non-presidential election years and focus on governor and congressional elections.
“In order to tell if the voter population and demographic change, I will be performing econometric analysis,” Miller said. “I will be presenting the first part of my research this fall in Washington D.C. at the Southern Economic Association Conference.”
Howard will conduct her research with the Chieftains Museum in Rome, Ga. The museum and the Rome Master Gardeners Club have started a garden of traditional Cherokee crop varieties. In her work with Associate Professor Brian Campbell, they will grow heirloom crop varieties in gardens both on and off Berry's campus.
“The history of the Cherokee people has always fascinated me and, being from Rome, the garden at the Chieftain’s museum perfectly brings together my passion for history and my work with heirloom crop varieties,” Howard said.
Bess will conduct educational outreach meetings in several northwestern Georgia communities about natural gas drilling, aka fracking, from an unbiased geologic standpoint. Many communities and families have been approached by out-of-state natural gas companies who want to buy mineral rights to their land.
“Some people strongly support fracking while others do not--I hope to present clear information on the true costs and benefits of natural gas fracking, in small communities and the U.S. at large,” Bess said. “I'll be hosting my meetings in libraries and other community centers this fall, referencing peer reviewed material and answering questions/concerns with an unbiased perspective.”
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Written by Public Relations Student Assistant Alexi Bell
