Leonette Cox of Baltimore, a student at Morgan State University, is conducting research on the black shale’s contribution to the chemistry of the stream in two Arkansas Rivers -- The Little Red and the L’Anguille.

Cox, a chemistry major, plans to achieve her Ph.D. and conduct research in the environmental sciences. “This is a great experience and I have learned a lot. Arkansas is a great place to work out in the field. I love the outdoors, and to go out in the field, and sample stream water. It’s great -- I’ve got to do a lot of canoeing. We even got lost on the Spring River. We got to see an Indian Pow Wow.

“I hope that someday I can make significant contributions to environmental management,” she concluded.

“One student is looking at leeches and newts, and fish. If a fish eats a leech, for example, it will die. If the fish eats the newt, it’s okay -- it is food for them. What they are looking at, is how the leech is mimicking itself to look like the newt, which then kills the fish in steams,” said program director Dr. Robyn Hannigan, associate professor of geology in the water-rock-lab-life laboratory at ASU. Hannigan and Dr. Jerry L. Farris, professor of environmental biology, are directors of the RISE program. They achieved the $269,891 grant from the federal government last year. There are five other members of the ASU faculty who serve as mentors to the students.

“We’ve got these top-notch kids coming from all over the United States here to Arkansas State to be research scientists. This is an amazing recruiting tool. Most of them are sophomores or juniors, who are excellent students and scientists. It was very competitive to get selected in the program for the internship. This is a unique program and a great place to do it,” she said.

The goal of the program, Hannagan said, is to train under-represented minority students in science to prepare them to go on to Ph.D.’s. “We have students here who are the best of the best, doing research at ASU. They had to do a formal presentation at the beginning, and were pared with a professor from the department. The experience has been nice for them. They are paid well, and get free housing while they are here. We’ve introduced them to the Natural State, taking them fishing, canoeing and out in the field and up on the bluffs,” she said.

The R.I.S.E. program will continue for three years with the research internships conducted each summer for 10 weeks. The program is funded for three years. Hannagan said with the program’s interest and success, they will definitely apply for renewal.

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