The Hillsdale College chapter of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society swept the regional conference at Thomas More College in Kentucky on March 28, taking first, second, and third places.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had first, second, and third,” Associate Professor of Biology and Tri-Beta faculty adviser Jeffrey VanZant said. “We tend to do pretty well, but never first, second, and third.”
Senior Jordan Rucinski took first place with her project on the protein AbpA; Hillsdale’s Tri-Beta president senior Lydia Wassink took second place with her project on extraction and amplification of DNA from individual tardigrades, or “water bears”; and senior Jennifer Bals took third place with her project determining a variety of diseases that could affect zoo animals passed from rodents, specifically leptospirosis.
Hillsdale had five competitors out of the approximate 100 overall competitors at the conference. Four of the Hillsdale competitors presented oral arguments and one presented in the poster category.
Rucinski, who plans to attend dental school after graduation, has been working on her project for about a year and a half. Wassink and Bals worked on their projects for a similar amount of time.
“My research is the study of a protein called AbpA that is found on the surface of a particular species of oral bacteria,” Rucinski said. “I designed a procedure that allowed me to identify what this protein binds to in the mouth to ultimately further knowledge about how this protein, and thus the species of oral bacteria that it is found on, causes dental plaque.”
Wassink focused on DNA isolation and extraction from individual tardigrades, something that has been tried before but has caused great frustration due to the tardigrades’ microscopic size and resistance to chemicals, temperature, and other environmental pressures. Wassink, however, was successful in her endeavor.
Wassink said she was happy to be given the opportunity at Hillsdale to plan and execute a study, an activity that is built into the biology major.
“I discovered this past year that this kind of experience is key to getting into graduate school,” Wassink said. “I’m sure the same is true for med school, vet school, and jobs in the sciences. It’s the research experience that makes students stand out.”
Rucinski and Bals both echoed Wassink’s sentiment, noting the Hillsdale advantage.
“Hillsdale’s program is very individualized, in that each student takes on their own project,” Rucinski said. “You get out of it what you put in, and if you put in the time and effort, it is a fantastic learning experience. Students at other schools also do advanced research, but they often work under a professor, taking on a small portion of that professor’s larger research project. I think the freedom that Hillsdale’s program offers students in regard to their projects allows for a greater learning experience.”
“At the conference the other girls and I noticed how lucky we are here,” Bals said. “We have equipment that other schools don’t have and being able to put on applications that we know how to do certain laboratory tests will only work to our advantage. I also think that the biology program has many other perks, such as the Henry Doorly Zoo internship, the Africa trip, the Marine Bio trip, and the biostation. There are so many opportunities and we are so lucky and blessed to have them.”
Rucinski gets an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition which will be held in May of 2016. Her only concern is getting the time off of dental school to be able to attend.
