Adam Bigott '14CONWAY, Ark. (April 20, 2012) - Hendrix College sophomore Adam Bigott, a biology major from Naperville, Ill., recently received a competitive undergraduate research grant from the Arkansas Academy of Science.
His project is titled "Examining the Uniqueness of the Sky Island Pines."
With the support of the grant, Bigott will do research in on campus this summer under the direction of Hendrix biology professor Dr. Ann Willyard. The project will also include a 14-day expedition to collect pine samples across a number of Western states.
Bigott will present his results at a national botany conference in Columbus, Ohio in July and present final results next April at the 2013 Arkansas Academy of Science conference.
"Adam had already received partial support from the Hendrix Odyssey program to allow him to experience the scientific process first-hand this summer," said Dr. Willyard. "The AAS grant will allow him to extend that project to study a unique population of pines that at least one botanist thinks is a previously unrecognized species. Testing this idea will be an important contribution to science and to conservation efforts."
"Based on the outstanding proposal that Adam wrote, I am very excited that this talented undergraduate student will have the opportunity to be the scientist who conducts this experiment," she said.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. Hendrix was named the country's #1 "Up and Coming" liberal arts college for the third consecutive year by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2011 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country's best 376 colleges and is listed in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges as one of 25 "Best Buy" private colleges included. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.