Tag: department of biological sciences

If you are looking for senior genetics major Kate Miller, you may find her in the classroom, sports concession stands, Dr. Powder’s lab or on Wednesdays, you’ll see her taking advantage of the $5 sushi deal at Publix.

Both Kate’s focus on community and STEM brought her to Clemson University.

“I came to Clemson because my first visit in middle school caused me to absolutely fall in love with Clemson’s tight-knit community and its emphasis on STEM programs.”

Kate chose her genetics major and her biological sciences minor because she wanted the ability to study both biology and chemistry on a deeper level. Kate says she hopes both her major and minor help in her pursuit of going to Pathologist Assistant school.

“The best part of being in the G&B department has been the personalized support from my mentors and advisors. As a smaller department, I have a strong network with the faculty who make me feel comfortable and supported with my academic and career questions.”

Outside of classes, Kate is involved in extracurriculars but the most important to her is working as a student researcher in Dr. Kara Powder’s lab with the Clemson Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research program. In Dr. Powder’s lab she studies craniofacial development of cichlid fishes.

Kate loves working with the fish and notes that this opportunity has greatly enhanced her laboratory skills. Kate’s personal project from this summer explores the developmental effects of estrogen on facial structure.

“Endocrine disruptors such as estrogen have been found in the environment due to pollution, and this research will show what may happen to the facial development of humans if exposed, especially in utero.”

In addition to undergraduate research, Kate is a member and leader of BeakerBox, a CI project where we develop interactive lesson plans for middle school science classrooms in South Carolina. BeakerBox aims to engage 6th-8th graders in the life sciences by keeping science fun and interesting.

“After graduation I plan on going back to school to become a pathologist assistant. My favorite classes right now are Toxicology and Anatomy, which are both fascinating and helping to lay a solid foundation for my future career!”

Senior biochemistry student Ryan Mehlem was part of a group that won the Pay it Forward competition, sponsored by South Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives.

The Pay it Forward competition challenges students at Clemson University, South Carolina State University or the University of South Carolina to propose solutions to pressing social and economic problems in rural areas. Students work as teams to create a solution to a long-standing issue, presented as a research paper and video.

Other students in the winning group include Mercy Crapps and Natalia Nortz, both biological sciences majors. The group received $1,000 for their design for a mobile STEM academy toolkit that provides resources, volunteer support and community outreach to students in rural South Carolina schools. The STEM education toolkit helps teachers provide their students with an experiential learning approach that can complement textbook learning or computer simulations in the classroom.

“I remember from my middle school experience, I was able to do some molecular biology practices and techniques which was exciting and interesting,” said Mehlem. “And now I work with those in my own research, pretty much every day.”

When building their STEM education project proposal, the team’s research focused mostly on middle schools, talking to staff at several rural schools throughout the state before developing their initiative.

The trio plans to start with fewer than 10 schools before refining their toolkit and expanding to other locations.