Dr. Newton Hilliard, associate professor of chemistry at Arkansas Tech University, has earned a $50,000 grant from the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) to lead a faculty-mentored pilot study during the 2016-17 academic year.
Two paid Arkansas Tech undergraduate students will assist Hilliard on the study, which seeks to contribute to the investigation of hospital-acquired infections during extended stays in medical facilities.
“Individuals who have compromised immune systems or other health issues often have a weakened ability to fend off infections from things we wouldn’t normally think about,” said Hilliard. “One of the issues that has come up recently is that some of these infections are coming about because these microbes…these bacteria…have alternate metabolisms that they can switch to. Most of the antibiotics that we have target the original set of metabolic pathways.
“What we’re looking at,” continued Hilliard, “is using an organism that is non-pathogenic, but uses some of those same non-standard metabolic pathways, as a model to better understand how the pathways work, how they’re regulated and how they’re controlled so that hopefully we can translate that knowledge into dealing with those pathogenic organisms that are causing people problems.”
Hilliard said that the project will provide the students holding the two paid positions and additional volunteer students with hands-on experience that will further reinforce their classroom and laboratory work.
“We can talk all we want to about baseball, but until you pick up a bat and a glove, it’s not the same,” said Hilliard. “What we want to do as much as possible with these students is get them that real-life experience. This study is a small part of a very big picture. We are trying as an institution, as a department and as individuals to grow to the point that we are able to offer more and more experiences to our students.”
Arkansas Tech students interested in applying for paid or volunteer positions with the study may send e-mail to nhilliard@atu.edu.
