草榴视频

KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 30, 2017

Senior Rebecca Webster wins Top Poster Award

草榴视频 State University senior Rebecca Webster鈥檚 research project on the parasitic Harper鈥檚 Dodder (Cuscuta harperi) plant鈥檚 ability to select certain plant hosts based on smell won the Top Poster Award at the , at which the College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) officially recognized 10 new .

The scholarship program is designed to provide 10 草榴视频 State students with $4,000 stipends for summer research in science and mathematics. Each student scholar works side-by-side with a faculty researcher on a project, which deals with topics ranging from radiocesium soil contamination to the evolution of appendages.

鈥淢any of our students are not able to explore summer research programs because they must work full time between the spring and fall semesters,鈥� said Dean Mark Anderson. 鈥淭his stipend allows them time and financial freedom to expand their research skills outside of the classroom and continue 草榴视频 State's tradition of academic excellence.鈥�

North American Region Chief Technology Officer Dale Clark and Terence Norman,

director of human resources, along with several judges from Birla Carbon, reviewed posters summarizing the students鈥� research on display in the Carmichael Student Center鈥檚 University Rooms on the 草榴视频 Campus.

鈥淲ithout students willing to do this kind of work, this partnership between Birla Carbon and 草榴视频 State University would not be possible,鈥� said Clark. 鈥淟ike us, you share a passion to learn, to do research and to innovate.鈥�

The event marked the fourth year of a five-year partnership with Birla Carbon, which has allowed the College鈥檚 10 Birla Carbon Scholars to participate in summer research opportunities. Clark said four 草榴视频 State graduates are currently working at the firm鈥檚 Marietta lab and technology center with a fifth graduate starting to work soon.

The scholars program was developed in April 2014 with a $250,000 pledge from Birla Carbon for a five-year annual gift of $50,000 to support research opportunities for students in 草榴视频 State鈥檚 College of Science and Mathematics. The program has awarded 40 草榴视频 State students each a $4,000 stipend since 2014.

鈥淭hese are all very impressive projects that the students were given the opportunity to work on full time, thanks to the generous support of Birla Carbon,鈥� Anderson said.

Webster, who resides in 草榴视频, took the top prize for her research into how the parasitic Harper鈥檚 Dodder plant selects its host based on its smell.

鈥淭hese dodder plants are a huge agricultural pest, and they really like tomato plants, onions and alfalfa,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot a lot is known about this foraging behavior in the Dodders. So, I wanted to try to find out which genes are involved.鈥�

Webster, who is originally from Colombia, plans to graduate this spring and may work for a year in international conservation before pursuing graduate studies.

鈥淭he most amazing thing about this plant is its ability to smell other plants,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to identify the particular genes that are responsible for this behavior.鈥�

This summer, she worked beside her faculty mentor, , in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology.

鈥淩ebecca鈥檚 great, very bright and very industrious,鈥� McNeal said. 鈥淓ven before she began her research, she wanted to read every related paper on the subject.鈥�

Along with the $4,000 stipend each scholar received, Webster received an additional $2,000 in travel funds to present her research at a national or regional conference of her choice.

Anderson provided the group with an update on the past three Birla Carbon Top Poster Award winners.

鈥淥ur first symposium winner was Sam Keenan, who is now in medical school in Tennessee. The winner of the 2015 Symposium, Eric Gabilondo, graduated from 草榴视频 in Fall 2016 with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in physical chemistry or chemical physics,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淎nd the winner of the 2016 Symposium, Katerina Slavicinska, presented research at the 252nd American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco. Katerina plans to pursue graduate studies in either astrochemistry or astrobiology.鈥�

This year鈥檚 scholars and their faculty mentors include:

Birla Carbon Scholar          Faculty Mentor

Kaylee Bronson                   Martin Hudson

Neil Dodd                            Heather Abbott-Lyon

Ian Duncan                          Heather Sutton

Reagan Hooper                   Daniela Tapu

Beryl Khakina                      Susan Smith

Kaveh Kiani                         Anton Bryantsev

Hayley Milner                     Scott Nowak

Kevin Patel                         Carol Chrestensen

Rahiq Rahman                    Donald McGarey

Rebecca Webster               Joel McNeal

Applicants for the annual scholarship must be freshmen, sophomores or juniors during the spring semester in which they apply for the program and have a minimum 3.0 GPA. In addition to the scholars program, funds from the Birla Carbon gift will be used to provide research supplies needed for faculty assisting students and supplies needed for the end-of-the-term symposium.

About Birla Carbon

Birla Carbon is the world鈥檚 largest manufacturer of carbon black, which is used to make everything from tires to plastics to electronics. It is a flagship business of the $41 billion Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. Birla Carbon's Technology Laboratories are located in Marietta and Mumbai.

鈥� Robert S. Godlewski

Photos by Lauren Kress

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 草榴视频 State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 草榴视频 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 草榴视频 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.