Biology research project awarded grant
Illinois College Assistant Professor of Biology Gwendowlyn Knapp has been awarded a community grant by Apex Clean Energy and Lincoln Land Wind for a research project exploring microbial drug resistance.
The $2,500 grant will fund equipment and services used for the project.
“I am excited for the funding opportunity that will allow me to work with students at Illinois College to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Morgan County,” Knapp said. “More importantly, students will have additional authentic research opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom.”
Elements of the research will be incorporated into Knapp’s microbiology courses, which she said will give more than 40 undergraduate students hands-on research experience each year. The project also uniquely gives students an opportunity to learn research skills through a project that connects the scientific process to their local community and environment.
The project will focus on ecologically diverse areas in Morgan County, assessing the prevalence of drug-resistant bacteria in the soil and monitoring changes in drug-resistant bacteria populations, identifying bacteria strains, and identifying viruses that can kill bacteria.
“With our strong biological sciences program at Illinois College and the addition of the nursing program, this research will help the future health care professionals who graduate from IC better understand some of the key challenges that they will face in their field,” Knapp said.
To learn more about the Biology program at Illinois College, visit www.ic.edu/biology.