Centre College's Zach Sweeney Takes Top Honors at Kentucky Academy of Science Meeting

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DANVILLE, KY (11/29/2010)(readMedia)-- Centre College junior Zach Sweeney of Ft. Mitchell took top honors against stiff competition at The Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS) Annual Meeting, held at Western Kentucky University on Nov. 12 and 13.

The KAS meeting advances the organization's commitment to encouraging scientific research and bringing together the best minds in the Commonwealth to share scientific knowledge and interests. Other undergraduate programs represented at the annual meeting included Western Kentucky University, Berea, Morehead State University and Asbury University.

Sweeney took first place in the chemistry paper presentation division for research work he conducted with professor of chemistry Dr. Jennifer Muzyka called "Virtual Screening of MurA: Elucidation of Potential Inhibitors."

The project involves exploration of the MurA enzyme's active site using a computer. In the next step, a number of compounds are examined to determine how well they fit into the active site. Substances that fit into the active site will be studied to determine how well they inhibit the enzyme. These experiments may lead to the discovery of new antibiotics, which are drugs used to combat bacteria.

"Working with Dr. Muzyka was an absolute privilege, and I regard her as a friend as well as a mentor and professor," Sweeney says. "I'd highly encourage any underclassman thinking of pursuing a career in the sciences to participate in research, particularly over the summer, as this gave me invaluable insight into the nature of the work of a scientist.

"I'm certain research will go down as one of my greatest experiences at Centre," Sweeney continues. "Winning first place at KAS was enjoyable, but in perspective it was just icing on the cake.

"At first [the research] was indescribably frustrating, as some problems would persist for weeks on end and would seem insignificant," Sweeney continues. "However, as I made progress, I began to understand the nature of scientific research and the level of commitment and dedication it requires. When I achieved success and finally obtained viable data at the end of the summer, I was ecstatic because I'd finally solved a problem that had persisted in various forms for three months.

"My efforts this summer were a rather small fraction of the over all pool of effort," Sweeney says. "Presenting this data at KAS was great pleasure, but I can say without any pretense or falsehood that the award belongs to all of the research collaborators without whom no progress could have even possibly been made," he concludes.

Sweeney is the son of Greg and Kimberly Sweeney of Ft. Mitchell and is a graduate of Beechwood High School.

Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 24th among all the nation's colleges and universities and No. 1 among all institutions of higher education in the South. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices.