St. Bonaventure University May graduate Erin McNell of Springville, New York, has been accepted into the competitive American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Honor Society for 2020.

McNell was a biochemistry major who had a strong commitment to research and was a leader in STEM outreach.

In her undergraduate research in Dr. Sean Ryan’s laboratory at St. Bonaventure, McNell focused on investigating the toxic effects of disinfection byproducts on embryonic development using a zebrafish model. This research experience piqued her interest in the study of pollution and environmental contaminants.

McNell plans to attend graduate school as a student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with the goal of earning a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology.

Her specific research interests include the effects of environmental contaminants on mammalian pregnancy and fetal development, as well as the possible role of the placenta in mediating these effects. She hopes to someday investigate this topic in an academic or government lab.

Outside of her research, McNell took part in STEAM outreach in local school districts through St. Bonaventure’s ASBMB Student Chapter. This involved traveling to schools or working with teachers and performing fun, hands-on science activities “with the hope of sparking an interest in science and spreading the knowledge that science is abundant in our everyday lives,” McNell said.

As part of her honors project, McNell held a nutrition workshop for in-service and pre-service teachers and designed a board game for elementary students called Build MyPlate.

“My goal was to integrate science and math, allowing the game to be a STEAM activity. I wanted it to be hands on and allow the participants to actively learn, since that is often more effective than lecture-based learning,” she said.

She chose to use nutrition as the science aspect since the leading cause of death in Cattaraugus County – and the nation – is heart disease. Since the risk of heart disease can be greatly decreased by making healthy diet and exercise choices, McNell’s goal was to inform participants about the food groups and how to maintain a healthy diet while exercising regularly.

Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES has integrated the board game into a nutrition kit that is available for component school teachers in the two counties.

McNell is hopeful that students will take the game home and pass their knowledge on to their families.

“I was very excited to hear that CA-BOCES was adding this game to the nutrition kit, meaning now it will have an even greater impact than I had originally imagined,” she said.

Dr. Xiao-Ning Zhang, director of the university’s Biochemistry Program, describes McNell as independent, hard-working and creative.

“I am very proud of her and what she has accomplished,” Zhang said. “She set her mind on research in a Ph.D. program as a freshman. I wish her a bright future and lots of excitement ahead.”

The ASBMB honor society is a competitive process and nominees must be ASBMB Student Chapter members who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in academics, undergraduate research and science outreach. Last year, only 27 students nationwide received the honor.

During her senior year, McNell served as president of the SBU ASBMB Student Chapter as well as vice president of the Campus Activities Board and as a student ambassador with the Office of Admissions.

McNell was awarded the Summer Borer Research Fellowship last summer and the Warden Research Award as a senior.