Three Copiah-Lincoln Community College 2022 graduates and biomedical research students had the opportunity to participate in highly competitive, paid summer research opportunities. Kiera Hemanas of Wesson worked at the MDI Biological Lab in Bar Harbor, Maine; Zachary Felton of Roxie was at Jackson State University, and Neziah Smith of Sontag conducted her research at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Hemanas used state-of-the-art research tools such as CRISPR and fluorescent microscopy in her research at MDI where her study focused on fertility and germ granule variation between nematode phyla.

Felton worked on a team at Jackson State University that experimented with the erodibility of sand using biopolymers. At the end of their research, the team concluded that gellan gum and agar are two biopolymers that can reduce the erodibility in our geographical infrastructures.

Smith’s work proposed a process to separate cyclohexane from benzene, an important raw material. She looked into an alternative to distillation using noncovalent interactions between boron and cyclohexane. Smith’s research was funded through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates and the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Polymer Science and Engineering.

All three students were on Co-Lin’s biomedical research team, which offers elective courses in bio-medical research and opportunities to participate in specialized research projects. The biomedical research curriculum aims to prepare students for careers in the medical field and to increase their chances of acceptance into medical school.

For more information about Co-Lin’s biomedical research offerings email lucy.mckone@colin.edu.