AISES 2006 National Conference Science Competition: SKC 1, Stanford 1

Salish Kootenai College and Stanford University traded 1st Place wins recently in the Undergraduate Research Poster and Oral Competitions at the 2006 American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Joshua Marceau's (presenter) and Katie McDonald's research on reverse transcriptase from Feline Immunodeficiency Virus won 1st Place in the Undergraduate Research Oral Competition topping a Stanford University presentation (which took 2nd Place) on a Golgi two-hybrid assay. However, the Stanford University Golgi two-hybrid assay poster won 1st Place in the Undergraduate Poster presentation category edging Deidra Brum's (presenter) and Caleb Marceau's poster on Protective Antigen Expression from an Anthrax Vaccine into an admirable 2nd Place finish.

SKC Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Laboratory Director, Michael Ceballos said, "I am extremely proud of all the SKC students that participated in the AISES competition. They worked some nights in the lab until midnight and several weekends gathering and verifying data for their AISES presentations. Their hard work and dedication has paid off. Oglala Lakota College also deserves recognition for their 3rd place win; this shows that tribal colleges can really compete with the larger universities in science."

Other SKC poster presentations included a presentation by Caleb Marceau on heat-shock proteins from extremophile organisms that live in the acidic hot springs of Yellowstone National Park and a presentation by Clinton Shepard on the SSV1 viral integrase that infects extremophile archaea in acidic hot springs.

Salish Kootenai College competed against several larger universities including the aforementioned Stanford University, Arizona State University, The University of Houston, West Texas A & M and others. Judges for the competitions included a chemist with Aerotech Labs, a Civil/Environmental Engineer with Coe & Van Loo, and two officers with the United States Navy. The undergraduate science competitions were organized by the All Nations Louis Stoke's Alliance for Minority Participation Program (ANLSAMP). The staff includes: Steve Dupuis, Zetra Wheeler, Lee Padilla, and Chuck Harris. ANLSAMP is housed at SKC and is funded by the National Science Foundation.