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

Monmouth, Ill. (07/30/2021) — Brendan Guenther, a senior from Pekin, 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 Guenther's project was "Investigating the Surface Molecular Interactions of Cannabidiol with Phospholipids via the Langmuir Monolayer Technique."

Langmuir monolayers were used as a model system to investigate whether cannabidiol (CBD) can act as an antibacterial. CBD is a cannabinoid found in hemp and is commonly used to treat anxiety and chronic pain. However, recent animal studies have shown that CBD promotes wound healing. Further Monmouth research on the topic will investigate how CBD affects brain chemistry.

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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