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Meredith Student Selected for NC Biotechnology Fellowship By Melyssa Allen
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eredith College student Jacqueline Bailey is the recipient of an Undergraduate Biotechnology Research Fellowship from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center for an industrial research collaboration with Cary, N.C.-based JustNeem, LLC. Bailey is the first Meredith student to receive a research fellowship from the Center. The fellowship prepares undergraduate science and engineering majors for careers in biotechnology by supporting relevant, handson laboratory research. Bailey, who is majoring in biology with a minor in international studies, will be conducting product research for JustNeem, LLC, including testing the mosquito repellent effects of neem and in-depth EPA registration work. The Neem tree is an evergreen tree that
is part of the mahogany family. Neem bark, leaves, fruit, seeds and oils all contain medicinal qualities. “This fellowship will allow me to perform on-campus research in collaboration with Meredith Professor of Biological Sciences Larry Grimes and the company’s CEO, Peter Radtke, to demonstrate the efficacy of neem formulations as a natural plant-based bug repellent.” JustNeem, LLC, is a body care company based in Cary, N.C., that specializes in natural premium neem products. The company’s products are made with imported West African neem and its profits support job creation, economic development, neem tree planting and ecological improvements in the Sahara Desert of Mauritania, West Africa. Bailey’s interest in products created from the neem tree began as a member of Mer-
edith’s Model United Nations team, which represented Mauritania at the Southern Regional Model UN in 2010. “My involvement with Meredith’s Model United Nations Club piqued my interest in both the hard sciences and global public health,” Bailey said. Undergraduate Biotechnology Research Fellows receive a grant of up to $5,000 to support a 12-month research project. Student Fellows must work a minimum of 400 hours on the research project; give a presentation to their peers at the home department or institution on both the scientific and business aspects of their research; and present a paper or poster at an appropriate professional conference. Student Fellows are also required to attend at least one meeting during the award period at the state or regional level concerning the business aspects of biotechnology.
Meredith Students Attend Auschwitz Jewish Center Program By Melyssa Allen
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eredith College students Callie Buchert, Leah Jay, Ila Torfin and Lizzie Wood recently completed the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC) Program for Students Abroad in Krakow, Poland. In its fourth semester, the program provides a scholarly learning environment through which students studying overseas engage intensively with the history of the
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Holocaust and Jewish life in Poland. Meredith’s students were participating in a semester at Meredith’s site in Sansepolcro, Italy, when they were selected for the AJC program. Facilitated by American staff from the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York and Polish staff from the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the five-day program takes place during spring and fall semesters and is open to North American students studying abroad. Participants visit Krakow and Oswiecim (Auschwitz), work with scholars, take in-depth tours of AuschwitzBirkenau, hear testimony, and engage in meaningful discussion. The students wrote about their ex-
periences abroad in online journals for Meredith’s website. Wood wrote about her experience during the AJC Program. “I felt as if I was trespassing while walking through these camps. I now know more than ever that this is sacred ground, and those who are able to visit it are among the lucky,” Wood wrote. “We are lucky that we are privileged enough to see what happened to these people, and also lucky enough to be able to walk through the gates of the camp into our free lives whenever we please.” Four students have previously participated in the program. Katy Cleary and Elizabeth Van Noppen went in Fall 2011, and Briana Karmini and Meredith Hyatt attended in Spring 2011. During Meredith’s 2012 Celebrating Student Achievement Day, Cleary and Van Noppen presented research, “Coping and Resiliency Through the Eyes of a Holocaust Survivor,” informed by their participation in the AJC Program.
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