Biochemistry Major Presents Research at SC Colleges and Universities Symposium
Isabel Fangman ’21 (Nisbet Honors) presented the results of her 2019 summer and fall research project at the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) research symposium on February 20, 2020. Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Jennifer Hawk served as her research mentor for this SCICU funded project.
During the summer and fall of 2019, Isabel traveled down to the Hobcaw Barony wetlands preserve in Georgetown, SC. While on-site, Isabel collected soil samples from six different locations along the Winyah Bay wetlands area. Back at Converse, she performed a series of chemical extractions to remove different heavy metals from the soil samples.
She then used an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to measure the concentration of each of the heavy metals in each of the samples. Isabel’s project focused on determining if humans have stressed the environment by contributing to the amount of heavy metals in the soil and evaluating a seasonal change in the amount of heavy metals in the soil.
Isabel was one of only three students to receive funding for undergraduate research proposals from the South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (SCICU) 2019 Student /Faculty Research program.