Federal Work-Study student Devon Nelson Researches Salad Bars in Elementary Schools and Tests a Metabolic Cart

My name is Devon Nelson and I am currently a Junior biology major.   My current research focuses on a variety of topics.  The main two involve putting salad bars in elementary schools to see if this helps change their attitudes towards fruits and vegetables and testing the repeatability of a metabolic cart to determine if it's a reliable instrument to use for energy expenditure.  I got interested in the project because I'm a strong believer that lifestyle intervention early on is more beneficial than trying to change your habits later in life, especially when it comes to eating habits.  I also really like working with data, but that was beside the point.

I usually work on location two or three times a week.  My work involves researching a variety of different topics that our research projects focus on so that proposals can be written.  When I'm not assisting with that, I'm in the nutritional assessment lab practicing using the metabolic cart.  The metabolic cart is a machine that determines how much oxygen you breathe in and how much carbon dioxide you breathe out.  From these values, the machine can calculate how much energy it takes to keep your body going at rest.        

As a new researcher, I never realized some of the things that researchers have to face that I took for granted.  Working has also helped me understand that even if you have the best research idea, sometimes your project doesn't get approval or participants don't come in, so you need to postpone your work and find something else. I never appreciated how much researchers rely upon volunteers for their projects until this semester and it's made me start signing up for more research projects around campus.

So far, the projects have changed the way that I go about my day.  Now that my knowledge in subjects such as gut health and how that affects the body has increased, I'm more aware of what I'm eating and excluding some unhealthy items from my diet.  Since we're working on gut micro biomes and how different levels of certain bacteria's can make you more prone to certain diseases, I'm starting to understand how even if you have a good BMI, what you put in your body can still hurt your health.  I'm happy that I worked this semester because it's broadened my understanding in the field of research and in myself.

Federal Work-Study student Alina Moody Scans Picture Negatives for the Broadside Project

My name is Alina Moody and I’m a senior Creative Writing major with a Multimedia minor working with Special Collections and Archives in Fenwick. I am working on the Broadside project, in which we scan in picture negatives taken by members of the old on-campus newspaper, Broadside. I actually began working on this project last year and became invested in it.

Since I first began working on this project, I have gained a lot of knowledge in keeping metadata, working with excel spreadsheets (which is always a useful skill), using Adobe photoshop, and working with scanners. As I am working toward a Multimedia minor, gaining skills with scanners—both regular skills and troubleshooting any problems—is quite helpful. I also hope to work with a publishing company one day, possibly a magazine, where I will need some sort of experience with all of these programs. I’m gaining a large base knowledge in programs that I will probably need no matter what I end up doing.

Every week, I work at my station flipping through pages of old 35mm picture negatives and scan them in on an Epson printer. As I scan, I look for any minor flaws that I can correct using photoshop and log in a detailed description of every frame to be used later in the project. Right now, we’re working on our last two boxes of picture negatives. I’ve scanned in pictures spanning 1998-2000 since I began work. 

Federal Work-Study student Emma Howes Researches the Evolution of Communication in Birds and Endangered Animals

Senior year of high school is when I knew that I wanted to major in Biology. The reason I wanted to major in Biology is because I think that learning about the science behind life is fascinating. More specifically, my dream is to research and study animals and the environment. I’ve always loved all kinds of animals and have been interested in how they live mentally, physically, anatomically, and physiologically. I hope to research conservation for animals and the environment to create a healthier place to live for all living creatures in the future. I’m not yet sure what I plan to do after college, but so far, I’m settled on getting my master’s in graduate school. Then I plan on finding a job researching and studying some area related to animals – probably mammals of some sort -- and their environment.

As a research assistant for Dr. Luther, I help with his research on the evolution of communication in birds and endangered animals in the United States. With researching animals and the environment, I imagine that I would have to do some research like this, gathering information from databases and the internet, along with going out to gather my own data.

On a weekly basis, I usually research information related to the task given to me and then I type it up either as a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet. Throughout the week, I report back to Dr. Luther on the progress I’ve made. Once I’m done, I inform Dr. Luther and then he gives me another task to research. There are multiple people working on different parts of this project. The project has not been completed yet, so there are no conclusive results.

This research job has been a good learning experience for me and has given me a taste of what I might be doing in the future and that is what most interested me in this job. I will carry this experience throughout my life and incorporate what I’ve learned into my own research one day.

Federal Work-Study student Jaimarie Epistola Studies the Effects of Synergistic Combinations of Antibiotics on a Bacterium Called Acinetobacter baumannii

Hello, Mason Nation! I am Jaimarie Epistola, and I am sophomore pursing a major in Medical Laboratory Science and a minor in Public Health. My interest in microbiology began in high school. I was amazed by the huge impact that tiny organisms can cause on the human body. Due to my great interest for microbiology and desire to help others, I hope to become a medical laboratory scientist (MLS) in a hospital. This profession plays a vital role in the health care team. A MLS performs a variety of laboratory tests on patient samples, such as blood and urine, and helps interpret results for the rest of the team. About 80% of all medical decisions are based on these results!

I have been working as a research assistant in Dr. Monique van Hoek Lab located at the Science and Technology campus. I learned about her lab when I attended her colloquium for the Honors College. My OSCAR project focuses on effects of synergistic combinations of antibiotics on a bacterium called Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). This bacterium causes infections such as meningitis and urinary tract infection, especially in immuno-compromised patients. Treatment options are becoming limited due to antibiotic resistance. During the course of my research, I will test different combinations of antibiotics and determine which combination works the best to kill the bacteria. This determination is based on minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that will inhibit bacterial growth. As of right now, I am determining the MIC of several antibiotics on A. baumannii individually. I use a spectrophotometer to measure the MIC and make calculations to determine percent bacterial growth. When I am not testing the antibiotics, I sterilize lab equipment and make sure the lab is neat and tidy. I also restock my lab supplies by making media and agar plates and by growing bacteria. During my work in the lab, I am learning more about microbiology and the research side of this field.

Even though my career goals are more focused on health care rather than research, my project and experience in van Hoek lab will develop a greater appreciation of the microbial world and treatment development. I am very grateful for this opportunity! I will use the knowledge and skills that I have gained from being a research assistant in my future endeavors.

Federal Work-Study student Frah Ejaz Works with 20 Year Old Data on Sedimentary Rocks

The Oscar project I have been working on is about geology where sedimentary rocks from the earth’s core are analyzed. The history, depth and age of the rocks are currently being determined to later publish findings in a research novel. The data I am working with is around 20 years old and is original data that another research assistant left behind because they graduated from George Mason University. There is no copy or imitation of this data anywhere, which makes working on this project all the more special. The main reason I am interested in working on this project is because I have the privilege to learn something new each day, which makes going to work very exciting. This current research has helped me to view biology from the perspective of nature and to open up my mind of the various possibilities that are in the field of science.

This research is related to my long-term goals in that it gives me the opportunity to practice the proper way to conduct, record and analyze data. This allows me to understand and help me grow each day in the field of research where I could one-day plan and conduct my own research for medical school. I now have an idea of the struggles and effort it takes to create a successful research experiment. Another reason why this is related to my long-term goals is that it is preparing me for what I should expect after George Mason University in the field of science, particularly Biology. The fact that I have grown passionate about this project is an indication that I am probably in the right field because I will be looking at things through a different perspective just like this project in the near future. What I do on a weekly basis is analyze and interpret data that is already scanned on the computer. I convert pictures in different programs and create, save and group files according to their locations at the Earth’s core.