MOC Student Presents Research Findings at Annual Meeting this Week
MOUNT OLIVE – University of Mount Olive Senior Patricia Guedes recently completed an internship with the Superfund Research Program at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She was one of 12 students chosen for the program. Guedes has been selected to present information from her internship at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Superfund Research Program Conference in Raleigh on October 21st – 24th.
The Superfund Research Program was established by the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up abandoned hazardous waste sites. “I am presenting a poster from my research project about the reproductive health of killifish that have adapted to survive in a creosote polluted river in Virginia,” explained Guedes. “This research project was one of many related to the environmental toxicology lab. I have gained abundant experience and learned so much.”
Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Guedes is majoring in environmental science and minoring in chemistry. “Since my high school class in Sao Paulo, Brazil had only 10 people, I decided to go to a smaller college. I believe the students and professors at University of Mount Olive provide the best learning environment for me. Living away from family and friends has not been easy, but the professors here at MOC, as well as the tennis team and especially Jackie Hill have always given me the sensation of having a second family. MOC has molded me into a more responsible human being, and I value everything I reach for in life.”
“I am very proud of Patricia and grateful that she had the opportunity to conduct research with a very well renowned Eco toxicologist,” said Dr. Elyse Lee, assistant professor of biology at University of Mount Olive. “It is imperative as a science major to get hands-on and minds-on experiences to truly understand how the concepts learned in the classroom apply to solving real problems in research.”
Guedes is expected to graduate in May 2013 and would then like to pursue her master’s degree. “I would like to work at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in the area of bio-remediation of polluted areas, as well as public health,” she said.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.