Marissa Kern from Porter Wins Student Research Competition

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Marissa Kern

SIOUX FALLS, SD (04/19/2010)(readMedia)-- Augustana students Marissa Kern (Porter, MN) and Jared Soundy (Sioux Falls) won outstanding undergraduate poster citations at the South Dakota Academy of Science meeting April 10 in Spearfish, SD. Each student receives a one-year subscription to the journal Science.

Kern, a junior, is a biology major. She is the daughter of Sherry and Dennis Kern.

Soundy, a sophomore, is a biology and interdepartmental (computer science, mathematics, physics) major. He is the son of Elizabeth and Tim Soundy.

Research by the two Augustana students was supported by the South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) grant.

Dr. Paul Egland, assistant professor of biology at Augustana, mentored Kern throughout her research. Soundy worked under Dr. Patrick Ronan with the Avera Research Institute.

Kern's poster is entitled GFP Codon Optimization for Expression in Streptococcus gordonii. She was assisted by Ben Jensen (Rapid City, SD), Blake Ridgway (West Des Moines, IA), and Dr. Egland.

The title of Soundy's poster is Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Corticotropin Releasing Factor. Assisting in the research were Jamie Horter (Bristol, SD), Leah Osterloo Callahan '03, Kristi Tschetter, and Dr. Ronan.

The purpose of the South Dakota Academy of Science is to encourage and promote research and publication in the various scientific disciplines, strengthen the teaching of science at all levels, and provide a forum for the scientific community so that the interpretation and dissemination of scientific information will result in a better public understanding of science.