Katie Penton, a graduate student in the Master of Science in Natural Sciences program at Delta State, was recently awarded the prestigious Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship, an opportunity coordinated by the Mississippi Research Consortium and supported by NASA.<\/p>\n
The consortium’s mission is to enhance and support aerospace science and technology efforts and activities in Mississippi, as well as promote a strong science, mathematics and technology base at pre-college, undergraduate and graduate levels in the region\u2019s educational institutions.<\/p>\n
Penton, a native of Southaven, said she was thrilled to receive the fellowship. She has been working closely with Dr. Sharon Hamilton, professor of chemistry at Delta State, while researching polymer chemistry.<\/p>\n
The fellowship is for the 2017-18 academic year in the amount of $20,000.<\/p>\n
Penton\u2019s fellowship will focus on two aspects \u2014 her innovative research at Delta State, and her K-12 STEM education outreach plan to visit Mississippi Delta schools and share demonstrations of science, particularly chemistry demonstrations. She will also work with local teachers to reinforce the subjects they are teaching within her lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very grateful to be one of only eight recipients of this fellowship throughout the state,\u201d said Penton. \u201cIn my proposal, I stressed how underrepresented the STEM fields are in the Delta, and given the opportunity, I wished to go into local schools to introduce and hopefully inspire students to pursue this area of study. I first got really invested in chemistry in high school, and I would love to ignite that spark in someone here in Cleveland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton said Penton is particularly worthy of the fellowship.<\/p>\n
\u201cKatie is an extremely hard worker who has significantly contributed to the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Delta State,\u201d said Hamilton. \u201cThe chemistry faculty at DSU are always looking for ways to improve our majors\u2019 education \u2014whether that be through exposing them to summer research experiences, bringing in speakers to the department, or helping them find ways to fund their research.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKatie\u2019s fellowship signifies that the research being done at Delta State is and can be just as significant as the quality of research being done at the larger schools in the state,\u201d added Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Her work with Hamilton has concentrated on developing a drug-loaded fiber mat that can be used in wound healing applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cKatie\u2019s research in my lab has focused on developing wound healing materials,\u201d said Hamilton. \u201cThink of it as creating bandages that can help you heal more effectively. This is an area of great interest to NASA. Our efforts address NASA\u2019s need for medical treatments that will allow space flight illnesses, particularly smaller wounds, to be treated with a minimum of infrastructure support and to keep crew members in good health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penton\u2019s lab research continued through the summer break, while at the same time, she mentored a student from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. She also presented the results of her research at the 2017 Summer Student Science Symposium sponsored by the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, and the MS INBRE Symposium.<\/p>\n