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Bigham a participant in Monmouth College's Kieft Summer Research Program

Monmouth, Ill. (07/30/2021) — Riley Bigham, a junior from O'Fallon, Illinois, was one of 12 Monmouth College students to participate in the school's Kieft Summer Research Program.

An intensive eight-week experience that gives students excellent preparation for graduate or professional school, the program was created after the College received an estate gift of $2.3 million from beloved chemistry professor Richard "Doc" Kieft, who died in 2009.

The title of Bigham's project was "Understanding the Aquatic Microbiome."

The microbiome is a unique set of microbes living in a particular environment. The microbes that make up the human microbiome are established at birth and evolve throughout life. These microbes are essential for our well-being by regulating our immune system, synthesizing vitamins and protecting us against certain disease-causing bacteria. As with the human microbiome, aquatic systems also contain a unique collection of microbes. The goal of Bigham's project is to evaluate the microbes present in aquatic systems and to correlate the presences of these microbes to the overall health of the aquatic ecosystems.

Monmouth has used Kieft's gift to fund several elements that the late professor believed were essential: attracting strong science students to Monmouth through scholarships; providing them robust research opportunities once they matriculated; and facilitating their travel to regional and national conferences where they could present their research.

"All of this research time is invaluable to a student's education," said Monmouth chemistry Audra Goach. "Doc Kieft knew how important this experience was for our students and we are grateful for him every day."

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