NIC students take home prizes from INBRE Conference

It’s been a summer of science for nine students in North Idaho College’s biomedical research internship program – and a successful one at that.

Six of this year’s Coeur d’Alene-based interns placed at the statewide competition at the Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Conference Aug. 2 and 3 in Moscow.

Jaden Preece-Sabrowski, a University of Idaho student who joined the NIC INBRE cohort, took first place for her poster in the industry interns category.

NIC students Melia LaFleur and Eryn Pierce tied for second place for industry interns, and Nicholas Farnham of Priest Lake and William Auten took third place for scholars and fellows, respectively.

Cassandra Larsen, a Brigham Young University of Idaho student who joined the NIC INBRE cohort, also took third place for fellows.

INBRE is a research grant program funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program and facilitated through research institutions and undergraduate schools. The University of Idaho facilitates Idaho INBRE, which includes 10 satellite programs at NIC, Lewis-Clark State College, Boise State University and several other community colleges, universities and private institutions in Idaho.

INBRE pairs college students with industry partners, college faculty or researchers from throughout the state to develop and conduct biomedical research projects. Industry interns and fellows are paid 10-week programs, and the scholars are a two- to three-week program. INBRE advisors mentor and guide students through their projects, which cumulate with the INBRE Conference where students present their summer internships in a poster competition and deliver three-minute fast pitches for their projects.

This summer, NIC students worked on synthesizing the labor-inducing hormone oxytocin in the lab; developing software to make detailed analysis of cells; molecular modeling for the development of potential cancer treatment drugs; studying the effects of wildfire smoke on microbes in soil and air; and analyzing heavy metals and biological oxygen demand in Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Eryn Pierce, an NIC student studying botany with plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in natural resources, spent the summer developing and testing methods to evaluate the water quality and health of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Working with an INBRE fellow and a professor from the University of Idaho using manuals and equipment from the Department of Environmental Quality, Pierce collected samples from Loffs Bay to measure and track the amount of dissolved oxygen produced by pond weed and algae in the water column, an endeavor that can inform how to protect and improve the health of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

“Seeing and applying all the things I’ve been learning in college to real life and working with organizations that are already working on conservation has really shown me what I can expect going forward, getting my bachelor’s degree and getting professional development,” Pierce said. “It’s been a very challenging experience, but in a good way. I don’t think I would have gotten as much improvement as I have in such a short amount of time if it hadn’t been as challenging.”

Peirce said being an INBRE intern gives students like her insight into what a career in their field of interest could be like.

“It really makes you think about if this is actually what you want to be doing, if it’s the actual degree and the actual career you want to be going into, because you are working with people who’ve been doing this for 10, 15, 20 years and have so much knowledge to give you and so much experience to help you learn about yourself and what you want to do in life,” Pierce said.

For more information about the INBRE program at North Idaho College, contact Idaho INBRE Director of Undergraduate Student Research and NIC Biology Professor Rhena Cooper at 208-769-3476 or rhena.cooper@nic.edu.