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Science Heroes Home Page > Nicole Blalock Nicole Blalock OMSI: Where were you born? Where did you grow up? NB: I was born in Yuba City, California, but grew up in a very small town of 100 people called Agness, located in southern Oregon. OMSI: What three words best describe you? NB: Motivated, outgoing, adaptable. OMSI: As a child, did you have any hobbies, interests, or experiences that helped prepare you for success in science? NB: I have always enjoyed learning and in 5th grade I had a teacher who began teaching about how to conduct science experiments. That was my first year of creating a project and presenting it at a local science fair. It was a great experience and I continued in research without ever looking back. OMSI: Please tell us about a mentor or teacher who helped to inspire your interest in science. NB: When I began high school, I wanted to continue doing science research with the science club we had, but I didn't feel that my experiments would be intricate enough to do well. I worked closely with my teacher, Mary Omberg for the four years I had at Gold Beach high and every year I grew and expanded my talents more. As both a teacher, mentor, and friend, she helped care and grow my enjoyment for science. OMSI: What's the worst trouble you ever got into in school? Have you ever blown anything up? NB: I haven't ever blown up anything, but once when looking for a tree meadow to sample from, I got my teacher, my research partner and myself lost on mountain roads for four hours in the middle of a cold October Saturday. OMSI: What is your favorite class this year? NB: Cell Biology/Genetics and percussion lessons. OMSI: What is your dream? What do you most hope to accomplish in your career? NB: I haven't decided what direction I want to take my biology degree yet. I have enjoyed working in the environmental field in the past and I have also enjoyed working in the molecular field. Mostly I just hope to find a place to go that I can enjoy working and continue my learning. OMSI: How do you feel about the current state of science education in the U.S.? NB: I find it sad that so many schools do not have a strong science education program built into them. While many schools have advanced science courses such as advanced placement and international baccalaureate, many students come into college with very little understanding of how scientific research is carried out in a laboratory setting. I have found that with my background in research I have been able to excel in the lab more than any other students, many of which do not even know the use of basic equipment such as micro-pipettes or field calipers. OMSI: What do you like to do in your free time? NB: I am very passionate about photography and spend much of my free time either working on my skills as a photographer or researching recent scientific work in fields that interest me. OMSI: What do you consider your very best skill? NB: I consider my ability to organize and adapt as my best skills. Even if things are going wrong in an experiment, I can re-organize the structure or meet the problem with another approach if necessary. I can quickly adapt, keeping myself organized and patient with the process. OMSI: Please tell us about your science fair project. How did you come up with the idea for your project? How did you go about researching and building your project? What was it like to participate in the science fair, and what do you remember most from the fair? NB: My senior year of high school I once again undertook an individual research project. "Immune Response Initiation in Port-Orford-Cedars to Inhibit Phytophthora lateralis Infection" was a project that lasted about10 months and used a sample size of 192 Port-Orford-Cedar seedlings of 3 different genetic strands (bred for resistance levels to Phytophthora lateralis infection). Experimental groups of seedlings were treated with different concentrations of chitosan solution and kept under the constant greenhouse conditions. Infection levels were determined using both visual and DNA analysis of the seedling roots. Western blot analyses were also performed to determine the presence of specific proteins being produced in response to Phytopthora lateralis exposure in foliar and root tissues. In doing this, it was the first time a root treatment had been developed against Phytophthora sp and the first time treatments had been the approach to the problem, rather than breeding resistance to the cedar trees. The idea from this project came from a conversation between my science teacher and my boss from the forest service and I. We had been talking about the problems with POC root rot and my science teacher brought up an article in a science magazine about potato blight treatments. Participating in ISEF was a wonderful experience. This project was my second one that was used in competition at an ISEF and I was much more confidant the second time around. I enjoyed the opportunity to share my work with so many scientists and was proud of the fact that the Army was interested in my research so much as to give me an award. What I enjoyed most though, was the opportunity to share my work. OMSI: If you were to build your science fair project again, would you do anything differently? NB: I don't think I would have done the preliminary work any differently, but in knowing what I do now about my research I would choose to continue working on it and focus on analysis of specific proteins and work to identify those protein responses due to infections in the cedars. OMSI: Please tell us about your educational plans and goals. NB: I will be graduating from Willamette University in 2006 with a degree in Biology. I hope to continue my education in graduate school, but only being a sophomore, I am not sure where I will be going yet. I have to complete my thesis first! OMSI: Have you had any on the job training or science related work experience? NB:
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