A recent trip to Washington, D.C., enabled two Missouri State University students to collaborate with other young scientists. Victoria Ogbeifun and James Wilson attended the 12th annual Emerging Researchers National (ERN) conference. The students attended the conference from March 14-16 along with Dr. Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, associate professor in MSU’s cooperative engineering program. 

The conference helps undergraduate and graduate students to enhance their scientific communication skills and better understand how to prepare for science careers in a global workforce. 

Students got to hear from keynote speaker Dr. Aprille Ericcson, who was recently appointed as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense. Ericcson also previously served as a long-standing aerospace engineer at NASA. 

Both Ogbeifun and Wilson received travel awards to attend the conference for their research. They presented their research and attended various workshops.  

Ogbeifun 

Ogbeifun is a senior from Republic, Missouri. She is majoring in chemistry and microbiology. Ogbeifun is also a pre-med student. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and work toward a career as a general or trauma surgeon.  

At the conference, her research won first place in the chemical sciences oral presentation category. She received $300 for her placement. 

“I never thought I was going to win,” Ogbeifun said. “I saw other students from giant institutions and was shocked to hear my name. I was happy to see my research pay off.”  

Ogbeifun’s research focused on the manipulation of fluorescent proteins. These proteins are essential tools for bioimaging and can be used as markers. These markers can be used to view various metabolic processes and things living inside different organisms.  

“We mutate a yellow thermostable protein and introduce other mutations into it to make it more chemically stable and more temperature stable,” Ogbeifun said. “Once stable, we work to crystalize the protein.”  

Ogbeifun has been working in the research lab for two years. She researches under Dr. Natasha DeVore, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. 

“Victoria has tackled several different projects and is always willing to be challenged,” DeVore said.  

Ogbeifun credits her research to previous MSU student Caitlin Padgett. Padgett had worked on this project and first introduced the mutations used in studying these proteins.  

Wilson 

Wilson is a senior from Olathe, Kansas. He is studying chemistry with a minor in biomedical sciences. Upon graduation, Wilson also wants to work in the medical field. He plans to move to Kansas City with the goal of becoming a paramedic.  

Wilson has been working in the lab looking at the fundamental properties of DNA and RNA. The properties affect how these important molecules function in the cell and may lead to better biomedical applications in the future. 

He is specifically working on a DNA-RNA hybrid, which is a molecule where one strand of the helix is DNA and the other one is RNA. He assigns the individual atoms in a short hybrid to monitor the energy between different structures.  

“We’re essentially dissecting the molecular puzzle,” Wilson said. “This is to understand how DNA repairs itself and identifies errors.” 

Wilson has been working in the lab for two years, guided by Dr. Gary Meints, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “This is a very high-risk, high–reward study,” Meints said. “I credit James for his invaluable efforts and willingness to work on such a difficult project.”  

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