Azusa Pacific University’s Department of Biology and Chemistry biochemistry program prioritizes getting students hands-on research and personal classroom experiences with their professors through small class sizes. Paige Colligan ’25 is a biological sciences major. She had the opportunity to present her research project to a large audience at the American Society of Microbiolgy’s Southern California Branch Regional Meeting.
Originally from Oregon, Colligan knew she wanted to go to college in a sunnier state. She also knew that she wanted to pursue swimming in college, so after a phone call with APU swim coach, Tim Kyle, Colligan committed to APU.
Over the summer, Colligan participated in a research internship where she gained experience in the lab planning, contacting companies for materials, researching, and collaborating with scientists. A professor oversaw the internship, but students were given the opportunity to do the bulk of the work. “Not a lot of people know that we have this amazing opportunity,” she said,
Colligan looked at the impact of Aspergillus sclerotiorum mold on cells. “I like to tell people that I work with bugs and mold,” she said. In her research, she has found that when tested on fruit flies, the mold in high doses causes cells to die while in small doses it causes them to stop replicating. “Anything that is part of the cell cycle is of interest in biological research because of its broader implications,” she said. “I believe that aspergillus sclerotiorum is causing DNA damage to cells.” Colligan’s research is the continuation of years worth of student work. Past students have worked on this same research project, but Colligan’s breakthrough hypothesis has opened many opportunities for her.
One of those opportunities was to apply to present her research at the American Society of Microbiology’s regional meeting of the Southern California branch. The conference brings in scientists, researchers, companies, and inventors in the field of microbiology. Colligan submitted her abstract in the summer. The top 10 abstracts presented at the conference, and Colligan received third place.
The conference gave Colligan a chance to gain insight and input on her research from
professionals. “People asked me questions and gave me great ideas about avenues I
could explore in my research,” she said.
Colligan said that the conference was a cumulative event of all her hard work where
she was able to learn more about her project as well as those of other student researchers.
Through the structure of APU’s scientific research, Colligan and her peers have been equipped to better understand all aspects of their work. “The difference between APU’s student researchers and the other presenters was that our research was very much our own,” she said. “We do problem solving, procedure planning, and contacting companies for supplies, whereas other students in other programs are helping their professors with their research and only do what they’re told. Our research is more hands-on and personal.”
With her recent breakthrough, Colligan is excited to continue her research. “The results are only preliminary and we still don’t have sound data or repeated experiments,” she said. “My future work will be a matter of further proving my hypothesis and conducting experiments.” When Colligan graduates in the spring, all of her notebooks documenting her work and findings will be passed on for other students to work on. Future students will be able to pick up where she left off and further collaborate on the research. After graduation, Colligan hopes to work in clinical research for drug trials and eventually become a medical doctor.