Cicero student earns prestigious internship in Germany

2016 Apr 13

This summer, Taylor Tibbs '17 will conduct microbiology research at Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany. She has been selected to participate in the competitive Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program of the German Academic Exchange Service funded by the German government. She is the first student from Carthage to be offered a position through RISE.

The RISE program provides opportunities for undergraduate students from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to spend a summer in a German academic institution to conduct research projects in engineering, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, and biology. Only about 200 students from U.S. colleges and universities were selected in this year's competition.

Taylor's project, hosted by a laboratory in the Institute of Microbiology in Greifswald, will be to study several strains of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, a major human pathogen, to better understand its physiology. She will employ advanced techniques in proteomics, electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.

Taylor is a junior majoring in biology and minoring in German. With interests in biochemistry, molecular genetics, and microbiology, she plans to obtain a Ph.D. and work in the field of infectious disease research. After participating in the intensive research-centered, freshman-level Phage Hunters course, Taylor took on projects in microbiology with Prof. Deborah Tobiason while also serving as a laboratory assistant and group leader. Last summer, she traveled to Purdue University to work on a laboratory project determining the molecular structure of a bacterial ribozyme using x-ray crystallography.

In addition to her research in the natural sciences, Taylor has developed her German proficiency and her understanding of German culture. She will be able to use her linguistic and cultural knowledge both in the laboratory setting in Greifswald and as she interacts with those she meets as she explores Germany. "Taylor has excelled in German and in biology," says German Professor Greg Baer. "I'm excited that she will have this opportunity to challenge herself and grow in ways that will draw on her knowledge in both the sciences and the humanities. Taylor's excellence in two very different disciplines contributed to the strength of her application, and her success illustrates the power of a liberal arts education to help our students succeed at the highest levels."

From Cicero, IN, Taylor plans to pursue further research opportunities abroad as a student and in her professional career, ultimately in a position where she can contribute to the basic understanding of the biology of bacteria and viruses.