“You learn what a career would be like,” she says. “You can’t sleep until noon because you have to be at work, and it helps you realize what you want to do.”

Darden was one of more than 60 students who conducted research this summer through several different programs. Her project, which was conducted with mathematics professor John Zobitz, was funded through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or LSAMP. The program provides research opportunities through the Northstar STEM Alliance for first-year students of color who are pursuing bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the STEM disciplines.

Darden and five other Northstar STEM researchers worked this summer and also met regularly to discuss their projects and learn about other aspects of the graduate school application process. “What did my friends at the U do?” she says. “Worked at Target. There are so many more opportunities here.”

She adds that Rebekah Dupont’s leadership and support was a very important part of her summer project. Dupont is the LSAMP site coordinator working with the STEM program. “She really took us under her wing and helped us find a bunch of opportunities,” Darden says.

In addition to helping her explore a career in mathematics, Darden says conducting research allowed her to apply principles she learned from the classroom to the real world.

“In Calculus class, you do a bunch of math problems and say, ‘When am I ever going to use this?’ And we were using it,” she says.

In August, Darden and three other students attended a national mathematics conference with Zobitz to present their research. Pictured above [left to right] are Darden, Nana Owusu (LSAMP), John Zobitz, Nghiep Huynh (McNair), and Jeremy Anthony (URGO).

“I was proud of our group’s presentations because we worked hard to make them eye-catching and interesting,” Darden says. “Overall the conference was a great experience and I would recommend it to next year’s researchers.”

When asked about her plans after graduation, Darden confidently answers that she will be going to graduate school for engineering. Not only will she be the first college graduate in her family and the first to earn an advanced degree, she is the first to attend college.

“I don’t know where, but I just know I am going to go,” she says. “I have two older sisters who didn’t go to college, so I feel like they are living the college experience through me. And I know my nieces and nephew are looking up to me, too.”

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Bankers-Fulbright has read studies showing an increase in the occurrence of MRSA, a bacteria commonly known as a “staph infection.” It’s a huge problem in hospitals as well as public places, like gyms and workout areas, but there is no documentation about how great a risk it really poses. In Augsburg’s fitness center, there are signs warning about wiping equipment clean to avoid MRSA.

When Bankers-Fulbright learned about short-term research opportunities in May for science students, she proposed a project to Mohamed and Jama, to test if the type of MRSA found outside of hospitals exists in Augsburg’s fitness center and if it can be cultured.

Both students had indicated interest in either biology or clinical work, and in order to begin, they had to learn all about MRSA, antibiotic resistance, how bacteria is transmitted, and about the techniques for collecting it.

They focused on the women’s locker room, since almost all women begin and end their workouts there, and collected 40 sterile samples from locations in the locker room and cultivated them in petri dishes.

The samples did cultivate colonies of possible MRSA, and the results varied depending on the petri dish growing medium and whether the bacteria was or was not resistant to antibiotics. They concluded that the women’s locker room does not pose a great risk for acquiring MRSA, although the risk might be greater if the women were playing close contact sports rather than working out individually.

LSAMP is a National Science Foundation program that encourages bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among minority students. Augsburg is part of the North Star Alliance.

During the 2008-09 academic year, Augsburg site coordinator Rebekah Dupont worked with 14 North Star Scholars, providing mathematics tutoring and connecting students with funding opportunities. Five students carried out research during May.

The LSAMP North Star STEM Steering Committee will meet this week at Augsburg, including members of the alliance institutions. Their agenda includes a brief presentation on Augsburg’s new Center for Science, Business, and Religion (CSBR).

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