Marilla Pender-Cudlip ’10, a recent ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College graduate and a chemistry major from Torrington, Conn., was honored with a top prize and 100 euros in prize money for her research poster at the 10th European Biological Inorganic Chemistry Conference, held June 22-26 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The EUROBIC conference represents the best work in the field of bioinorganic chemistry, the study of metal ions in biological systems. Out of 297 posters at the conference, Pender-Cudlip’s and two others shared the top prize.

She stood out amidst an accomplished group. Most of the presenters were graduate students presenting doctoral work or postdoctoral associates and professors presenting material pending publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Pender-Cudlip, who graduated in May, attended the conference with chemistry professor Rachel Narehood Austin. “You could think about the award as an analogy to a young musician winning a music competition,” says Austin. “It signals that this is a person with the talent and training to rise to the top in a very competitive field.”

Pender-Cudlip’s poster exhibited research from her senior thesis, which involves AlkB, one of a class of chemicals called metalloenzymes, or enzymes that contain a bound metal ion in their structures. The research explores the reaction mechanism of AlkB as it oxidizes hydrocarbons called alkanes.

The enzyme is thought to be a prime catalyst employed by naturally occurring bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons — potentially linking the research to events like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. “The importance of this research lies in understanding as much about AlkB as possible,” says Pender-Cudlip.

The research is part of an extensive project that she has been working on with Austin for the past three summers at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. “It’s been nice working on the same project for so long,” says Pender-Cudlip, because it provided a consistent backdrop to her learning during the academic year.

“My understanding of chemistry broadened by taking more classes, while my lab experience grew because I spent every summer at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½,” she says.

Pender-Cudlip is no stranger to academic honors. During her time at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, her awards included the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater and Beckman scholarships, which support selected students in the sciences.

While Pender-Cudlip was a bit surprised by the EUROBIC honor, she felt confident presenting her research. “I gained practice from the Mount David Summit” — a showcase of academic achievement at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ — “and the chemistry seminars that all majors present to the department.”

In the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ contingent were Rachel Austin, assistant professor of chemistry; three associate professors from the biology department, Pamela Baker, Lee Abrahamsen and Nancy Kleckner; and John Kelsey, professor of psychology. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ was one of 29 colleges and universities to send a team to the institute, which took place at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif.

The SENCER Summer Institute was designed to support a national reform effort broadening the relevance of undergraduate science education. “The overall idea was that learning can be improved by connecting the teaching of science to current global issues, particularly those which are complex and largely unsolved,” says Pamela Baker.

“Many of the issues we face as citizens have a science or technology dimension,” Baker continues. “While not everyone can be an expert on everything, learning to be a critical thinker and knowing how scientfic knowledge is produced can help people contribute to these debates and decisions.”

Participants in the SENCER institute proposed courses that teach rigorous science content through problems that require scientific knowledge and expertise.

SENCER is planned as a five-year national dissemination project that will promote reform through faculty development, a focus on local systemic change and improved assessment strategies. The project is supported with a grant from the National Science Foundation and has three goals: 1) to improve science education, especially for students who will never major in a scientific field; 2) to connect science education reform to more robust and relevant general education programs; and 3) to stimulate informed civic engagement with scientific questions on the part of today’s students.

Divorcing scientific facts from the social context and the research methodology of the era in which they were discovered “makes it very difficult for people to apply those facts in the real world,” says Baker. “Making an effort to tie science education to real-life issues not only motivates students to learn the facts, but helps them learn to apply the scientific thinking process to issues they encounter in the future.”

She added, “It was gratifying to see that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is quite far ahead of many places in doing this kind of teaching.”

The Association of American Colleges and Universities is the leading national association devoted to advancing and strengthening liberal learning for all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U has more than 700 accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.