Chatham Man Named Research Scholar

EASTON, MA -- A Chatham man is among 50 Stonehill College students who will work with 32 faculty members on a variety of research projects over the coming summer of 2013.

Stephen Leonard, a junior at Stonehill, will work with two other students and Rachel Hirst, Assistant Professor of Biology, on the detection, sequence analysis and antibiotic sensitivity of Methylobacterium species found in association with the fungus Armillaria gallica as part of the Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program.

This summer's group will build upon previous research conducted on the fungus. In 2012 the SURE group provided strong support that there is an association between the fungus and a bacteria called Methlyobacterium. However, the method for visualizing the bacteria inside the fungus has proven somewhat problematic requiring the use of fluorescently labeled probes to target specific gene sequences.

Leonard will determine the susceptibility of the bacteria to a number of antibiotics and then try to cure the fungal culture with appropriate antibiotic. The other two students will assist with preparing the bacterial genome for whole-genome sequencing and will be responsible for analyzing the data once the sequencing is complete, and also researching the synthesis of the probes and hybridization parameters. 

The three biology majors hope to present their findings at the 2014 Eastern New England Biological Conference and to publish their research in a peer-reviewed journal.

The scholars and their faculty mentors are the 18th group to work under the SURE program, which provides students with an opportunity to perform significant, publishable research under the guidance of an experienced faculty researcher.

The research experience will help to provide students with a competitive advantage in graduate and professional school applications and in post-college employment opportunities, as well as to provide assistance to faculty in research activities.

Stonehill College is a college of 2,500 students located 22 miles south of Boston, offering easy access to internships, job opportunities, museums, sporting events, and more. Stonehill's faculty mentor students in more than 80 majors and minors in the liberal arts, sciences, and business.