Researching salt-marsh microbes

Geoffrey Bender '07 spent the summer "playing with mud."

Senior Geoffrey Bender spent the summer "playing with mud" after winning a highly competitive undergraduate research fellowship.

Bender, a cell and molecular biology major from Houston, collected mud samples from the Barn Island salt marsh, then began isolating and analyzing certain strands of microbial DNA. His research is part of a study being conducted by Anne Bernhard, the George & Carol Milne Assistant Professor of Biology, examining the effects of the restoration of salt marshes on microbial communities.

Bender was one of 43 students chosen to receive the American Society for Microbiology undergraduate research fellowship. The prize includes a $4,000 stipend, a one–year student membership in the organization and travel to the annual meeting where the students present their research. The 2007 meeting will be in Toronto.

Bender said the fellowship has fueled his interest in research and gave him confidence.

Bernhard has translated her interest in marine and estuarine ecosystems into a number of research projects, many involving student researchers like Bender. "She tells me how to look at the data and at the results and how to think critically — like a scientist, "Bender said.

Bender says he is grateful he has had the opportunity to do this type of research as an undergraduate. "Doing research is so different from learning in class," he said. "You get to meet really interesting people and it is a great forum for sharing ideas. That's one advantage of Connecticut College — you can actually do research with a faculty member. I don't think you could do that at a big university."

Professor Bernhard and her team of students are an example of how faculty-student research thrives at Connecticut College.