101 RESEARCH SUMMER OF RESEARCH Chemistry and biochemistry students research for the International Space Station. During summer 2020, students spent their time interning, discovering new hobbies, taking online classes and researching for summer projects. In the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, several students conducted various research studies, one of which was a candidate to receive a major research grant from NASA continuing into the school year. 2020 alumna Sidney Brandon was involved in the research during the 2019-20 school year, which she handed over to senior Emory Malone upon her graduation. “NASA has this space grant consortium in each state, so the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium receives money through NASA funding to, basically, pay students to do certain research that ends up benefitting NASA,” Brandon said. “Our specific project dealt with water sanitization on the International Space Station.” As Malone continued their research, she explained how the project progressed since she began. “The goal is to get rid of biofilm, which is just an aggregation of bacteria” Malone said. “We can figure out how biofilm forms in people’s bodies and use that information to help apply the research to the water system at the International Space Station.” Although quarantine took effect during their research, the students adapted in order to continue the project. Senior Nicole Jayne lived in Searcy for the summer to work on the project under COVID-19 regulations. “I was in the lab from 9 to 5 every weekday and sometimes on Saturdays,” Jayne said. Jayne continued working on the project through her senior year, studying the effects of oxygen in the breakdown of biofilm that accumulated in the International Space Station’s water supply. Jayne reflected on the summer as a productive and fun time of being with peers. “We had a lot of good times,” Jayne said. “At one point, we even had a turtle in the lab.” Through their research, many of the students developed skills that would serve them in their future endeavors. “I wanted to make it work but I had to learn to be more objective and detailed in my research,” Jayne said. “I had to see what was truly there instead of what I wanted to see and ask myself, ‘Did this work because of what I added to the experiment?’ That motivated me to prove that what I was doing made a difference.” story by Maryn McAfee Professor of chemistry and biochemistry Dennis Province stands with senior researchers Parker Pruitt, Nicole Jayne and Jared Guajardo in the PryorEngland Center for Science and Engineering. The team worked through summer 2020 in analytical chemistry labs. | photo by Stanley Morales Pass the test tube! Senior Nicole Jayne works with scientific equipment in analytical chemistry lab. The research team conducted various research studies throughout summer 2020. | photo by Stanley Morales
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