NSU student Hollie Moses awarded for research at conference

By Laura Butler
NSU Staff Writer

(Tahlequah, OK)--NSU Honors biology student Hollie Moses of Fort Gibson was awarded second prize for her oral presentation at the American Society for Microbiology Missouri Valley Branch conference.

The conference was at Kansas State University in Manhattan on April 9-10. The title of her presentation was "Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonads."

Moses has worked in assistant biology professor Cindy Cisars research lab for four semesters. Cisar said they are interested in environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance.

Specifically, we are studying the impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on antibiotic resistance in bacteria in Tahlequah Creek, she said. One of my requirements for students who work in my research lab is that they present their research results at a conference. To fulfill that requirement, Hollie gave an oral presentation at the ASM Missouri Valley Branch annual conference.

The largest life science society in the world, ASM has more than 43,000 members including researchers, educators, clinicians, and industry professionals who are engaged in all disciplines of microbiological sciences.

ASM supports 35 branches, organized by geographical boundaries. The Missouri Valley Branch, which includes Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, hosts a regional scientific meeting each spring. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students present their research results at the conference.

Hollie is an exceptional student, Cisar said. She has made important contributions to the research project, moving the project forward. Her presentation at the conference was very professional, equal to the graduate student presentations. It has been a pleasure to have her working on the research project.

Moses graduates from NSU on May 15. She begins graduate school at the University of Tulsa in August where she will work on a Ph.D. in biology.