Heather Forbes wins First Place in the Senior Biological Division of the North Carolina Student Academy of Science Scientific Paper Competition
Heather Forbes was selected as a North Carolina Delegate to the 2001 AAAS Meeting in San Fransico this past spring where she successfully presented her C-Fern project to this nation’s premiere high school students and top scientists. She was advised by her instructors, Laurie Brown and Marilyn Garner from West Iredell High School, Statesville NC. Ms. Forbes’ project involved examining the effects of sucrose on C-Fern sporophyte development. Although C-Fern cultures are easily maintained on Basic C-Fern Medium with little concern for contamination, in experiments involving supplementation of the medium with sucrose or other carbon sources, contamination can become an issue of greater concern. In order to address this potential problem, Ms. Forbes designed and built a growth chamber as well as a sterile transfer and study chamber.