2009

Crystal Richards, Ph.D. candidate in Microbiology

Crystal Richards’ research is focused on water and biofilms as an exposure pathway to pathogenic bacteria, including Helicobacter pylori, on the Crow Indian Reservation. This research will provide useful data to the Crow Reservation about drinking water quality, and increase understanding of H. pylori physiology in drinking water. Ms. Richards will use her fellowship to attend an international conference, and to purchase supplies and books to support her research.

2009

Travis Harris, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Travis Harris’ research is focused on understanding the intimate details of biological nitrogen fixation, which could lead to improved agricultural fertilizers that are more sustainable and less destructive to the environment. Mr. Harris will use his fellowship to collaborate with researchers in Utah, attend the International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry in Japan and purchase computer hardware to allow him to perform work while away from campus.

2008

Sunshine Silver, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Sunshine Silver will use her fellowship to study an enzyme found in spore-forming bacteria. The enzyme enhances the bacteria’s resistance to ultraviolet light, making it very difficult to kill these organisms which can threaten human health with a number of diseases.

2008

Ramon Tusell, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Ramon Tusell’s fellowship will be used to develop techniques for modeling protein functions in the human body. Each human gene codes for a specific protein molecule (chain of amino acids) that performs a specific task, but how the proteins achieve these tasks is not well-understood at the atomic level.