Math and Science Honor Society connects Evangel students to national internship

October 4, 2007
Contact: Paul K. Logsdon, Director of Public Relations and Publications, (417) 865-2815 ext. 7292

Springfield, Mo. — The Evangel University chapter of Sigma Zeta, the National Science and Mathematics Honor Society, not only recognizes academic achievement, but provides members with a venue for landing competitive internships.

Senior biology majors Bonnie Carsten and Nathan Johnson were chosen to intern at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City as a result of working on the joint Gene Mapping project with Sigma Zeta and CMH physician Dr. Robert White last summer. The gene project involved mapping an experimental gene in order to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

“My experience with Sigma Zeta and the project we are working on gave me a knowledge base that put me ahead of other students in my internship program,” Carsten said.

Carsten is currently writing a research article about her work at the hospital that she intends to present at the Missouri Academy of Sciences in the spring.

Johnson will continue working on the gene mapping project with Dr. White, along with Andrea Mainse, junior biology major. Mainse, who was the president of Evangel’s Sigma Zeta chapter last year, initiated the partnership with Dr. White. According to Johnson, Dr. White wishes to continue working with Evangel’s Sigma Zeta students after the gene mapping is complete.

“This opportunity opened my eyes to how exciting research can be,” Johnson said. “Sigma Zeta allows students to become productive scientists.”

Another Sigma Zeta member, Evangel senior biology major Stephen Morey, completed an internship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Megan Rooney, a 2007 Evangel graduate and first-year medical student at University of Missouri-Columbia, was the Sigma Zeta chapter president from 2005-2006. She was a summer research intern at Baylor University in 2006.

Rooney said that the internship helped prepare her for medical school. “My research experience at Baylor also came in handy at a critical moment in a practice exam. I correctly diagnosed a patient with cystic fibrosis because I knew from past experience a key fact about the kids that have the disease,” Rooney said.

“Being a relatively small University, Evangel’s independent scientific research capabilities can be limited,” said Dr. Glenner Richards, associate professor of biological sciences and Evangel’s Sigma Zeta chapter adviser. “We are trying to help students to identify small projects that they can undertake independently and to seek summer internships to keep them engaged in the science disciplines.”

For additional information, contact Dr. Glenner Richards at (417) 865-2815, ext. 8316.