By Chris Higgs
Senior biology major Kendall Bieschke has achieved a notable accomplishment which many scholars may only dream of. She had the manuscript encapsulating her Senior Seminar research project published in a scientific journal.
For the research project, Bieschke chose to study the biological response to a hemi-resurfacing hip implant, which means taking a closer look at how the body responds to an implant in the hip joint. To do so, histological analysis needed to be performed. This is “the processing of a femoral head of the hip, cutting it into slides, staining the slides, and viewing them under a microscope,” according to Bieschke.
In collaboration with Dr. Lynne C. Jones and the Orthopedic Surgery department of Johns Hopkins University, Bieschke was able to conduct her research in a laboratory at Good Samaritan Hospital.
“It’s qualitative analysis. It’s looking at photographs and X-rays of slides to determine the biological response of the bone to the implant,” said Bieschke. “I wanted to know how the femoral head was responding to the hemi-resurfacing implant.”
After conducting the research, Bieschke and Jones submitted the research to the Biomedical Sciences Instrumentation Journal (BSIJ) and then attended the Rocky Mountain Biology Symposium, a conference held in Colorado. There Bieschke was able to present her findings to fellow scientists and panelists of the BSIJ.
“[Because] not very many undergraduates are fortunate enough to have a published paper, Dr. Jones suggested we submit the manuscript to the journal,” said Bieschke.
However, the presentation and publishing did not come easy. The research started in January of 2007 and didn’t begin nearing completion until the following December.
“I worked 40 hour weeks, eight hours a day. I was in the lab all summer,” said Bieschke.
Bieschke’s knack for orthopedic surgery did not come to her by chance. Her father worked with orthopedics for Good Samaritan Hospital. In fact, it was her father who suggested contacting Jones for ideas regarding the Senior Seminar project. After brainstorming, Bieschke and Jones decided to pursue the hemi-resurfacing hip implant.
Being published as an undergraduate student is only the beginning for Bieschke. She will be working in collaboration with University of Mississippi Medical Center on an as-of-yet undetermined research project by completing the processing portion of the task. In the fall of 2008, Bieschke will be attending Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, studying forensic science with hopes of someday working in an FBI crime lab. Eventually, she would like to obtain her Ph.D. in molecular biology so she may continue working with forensics.
Bieschke reflects on the opportunity very positively. “I went into the research project for my Senior Seminar and came out with a publication. It was a great experience.”