Research

Charlie Stokes, 15, a ninth-grader from Waynesboro, Pa., participated Friday in the St. Maria Goretti High School National Honor Society's fund-raiser for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at Long Meadow Bowl in Hagerstown.

The Save Historic Antietam Foundation will help fund research by Civil War scholars about the Army of the Potomac and about Clara Barton's work during the Battle of Antietam, the organization announced in a press release. The foundation awarded its first Dr. Joseph L. Harsh Memorial Scholarship to Daniel Joseph Vermilya of Kirtland, Ohio, for research on the topic of “The Strength, Composition, and Experience of the Army of the Potomac at the battle of Antietam,” foundation President Tom Clemens said.

In a recent poster session at Lock Haven University, students shared their research on Pennsylvania's many unique, regional histories. The Dec. 14 poster session, titled "Pennsylvania's Histories," showcased the work of students who have been studying Pennsylvania history this semester. "The idea was for students to research a region in Pennsylvania and identify what historically made that part of Pennsylvania different or unique," said Professor Janet Irons. "Pennsylvania has many histories, not just one, because the regions within its borders are so distinct.

The George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War at Shepherd University will present “Mountaineers Unite?: Cross-Border Enlistments and the Civil War in West Virginia” by Scott A. MacKenzie on July 30 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of Erma Ora Byrd Hall on the Shepherd University campus. MacKenzie is the center's 2012 George M. Nethken Graduate Fellow. The presentation is free and open to the public. MacKenzie, a student of Kenneth W. Noe at Auburn University in Alabama, has spent eight weeks in the area conducting research for his Ph.D.

I recently read an article by Rick Jordahl, associate editor of Pork Magazine, titled “U.S. Ag Research In Decline.” He goes through the history of the land-grant university system, which helped to propel the U.S. into its role as the world’s leading food producer. Regular readers of this column have heard me espouse the virtues of this brilliant model on more than one occasion. Jordahl goes on to point out that lawmakers no longer see a need for them to invest in this research in light of the fact that Americans spend less of their disposable income on food than any other people in the world.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Craig Higgins of Big Pool said his family, for decades, knew frustratingly little about his uncle's death in World War II. Then, Higgins dug in and uncovered reams of information about the military service of Russell L. Higgins, who was 32 years old when he died in France in 1944. Craig Higgins now has a binder filled with copies of pictures, maps, documents and news clippings, creating a clear, thorough story. "This book of research is in tribute to Uncle Russell L. Higgins and all the veterans of WWII," Craig Higgins, 48, wrote on an introductory page.

There are no pink ribbons, no T-shirts or logos encouraging awareness and prevention. Instead, it's a topic many people find difficult to discuss. And unless you are a parent who has lost a child to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), it is impossible to understand the level of pain. One minute your child is alive. The next, he or she is gone. The syndrome is exactly what it says - the sudden, unexpected death of a baby under the age of one that occurs while the infant is thought to be sleeping.

Stephen Budiansky, author of "The Bloody Shirt: Terror After Appomattox," has penned more than 10 books over the years. Yet he said he's not the type of writer to rise at dawn every morning to pound out a thousand words before lunch. When writing nonfiction - specifically military history - Budianksy said the first step is always research. "I start with a lot of background," he said in a telephone interview from his Leesburg, Va., home. For "The Bloody Shirt," Budiansky poured over newspaper accounts and original documents at several locations, including Mississippi State University, South Carolina State Archive, Duke University and the University of Virginia.

The second annual Walk with Tori to benefit scleroderma research will be Sunday at Doub's Woods Park in Hagerstown. Registration begins at 1 p.m. with the 2K walk (1.24 miles) to begin at 3. Each participant who makes a donation of $25 or more will receive a “Walk with Tori” T-shirt. There will be a silent auction, raffles and entertainment after the walk. Last year's inaugural event raised more than $46,000 for the University of Pittsburgh Scleroderma Center. For more information, call 717-597-9200.

In yet another example of a lobby group's grab for a quick headline, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has trashed the federal fruit research station in Kearneysville, W.Va. Like many of these groups, the council raises an alarm without considering the alternative to spending money in this way. For example, if fruit production in the United States becomes unaffordable, then it follows that Americans will have to import more from countries which may or may not have the same concerns about consumers' health, or the environment in general.

Catie Breslin is living proof there have been advances in cystic fibrosis research. When she was born, the average age a person with CF expected to live was age 18. Today, it's 37. That's why the 21-year-old Hagerstown native is hoping that people will dig into their pockets for the chance to sweat for the Zumbathon for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18, at St. Mary's Catholic School in Hagerstown. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, CF is an inherited, chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. and 70,000 worldwide.

Wilson College students will present the results of their undergraduate research at Wilson's fourth annual Student Research Day on Friday, May 3. The public is invited to join Wilson students, faculty, staff and administrators at all events.  Twenty-one seniors will present their work, which was produced in conjunction with faculty advisers, from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the Brooks Complex auditorium and Warfield Hall's Allen Auditorium. A number of students will also share their work graphically in a poster session to be held in the Brooks Complex from 1 to 2:15 p.m. An art opening is also scheduled for students' capstone art projects in the Bogigian Gallery.

Ryan Wolf of Myersville, Md., was one of 12 students who presented results of their research during Bryan Colleges' third annual Undergraduate Research Conference April 5. Students who participated in the conference are selected by a faculty committee that reviews a summary of their research and picks the top projects for the formal presentation. Ryan, son of Shawn and Denise Wolf, talked about “The Burden of Faith: Existentialism in Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov.'”

During March, which was Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Endoscopy Center at Robinwood held its fourth annual basket raffle to raise money for colon cancer research and awareness.  This year, the center raised more than $1,200, which will be donated to the Washington County Health Department's colon cancer screening program.   Debby Cushwa of Digestive Disorders Consultants was the winner of this year's basket filled with more than $750...

Brent Borreson could be spending the night partying with Sting. But instead of attending a celebration with the rock star on Saturday, April 13, he'll be in Hagerstown raising money to fight breast cancer. Borreson, a Redken global artist, will be the creative force behind An Evening of Hope-Fashion for a Cure, a hair-inspired event benefiting Breast Cancer Awareness-Cumberland Valley. The show is being sponsored by Bella Salon & Spa of Hagerstown, in partnership with The Maryland Theatre, where the fundraiser will be held.

Dozens of people knocked down pins Sunday to build up women as Sunshine Lanes sought to raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The bowling alley off Pa. 16 hosted a “Bowl for the Cure” event to raise money for breast cancer research. It was the third event of its type for the business. Manager Robin Reed said she felt compelled to do something to support the organization after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. She created an all-day event for tournament players and those people choosing to participate in open bowling.

Students at Boonsboro High School raised $1,722.72 to help fund blood cancer research and provide help and hope to thousands of patients and their families through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's  Pennies for Patients program. The collection drive, in honor of third-grade leukemia patient Mackenzie McCarter of Hagerstown, was led by the students of Starlene Hamilton's first- period career- development class.  The National Honor Society at the high school worked in conjunction with the class.

It's been more than five years since Michael Tomlin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis, made just before his 30th birthday, was two years in coming as other medical conditions were ruled out. Tomlin said it's a hard disease to diagnose as the symptoms are similar to Lyme disease and lupus. He said in 2005 his eyes “started acting up,” then the right side of his body went numb. It took four MRIs before the telltale MS lesions showed up. In some ways, the diagnosis was a positive turning point for Tomlin, 35. Since then, he's lost 50 pounds by eating healthier and making exercise a priority.

Two Shepherd University professors were awarded WV Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, grants totaling nearly $40,000 for equipment to use in their classes and for research. Jordan Mader, assistant professor of chemistry, will receive $20,000 for a thermal gravimetric analyzer used for stability determinations. She said the analyzer measures weight loss in relation to temperature of the material being tested. Ralph Wojtowicz, associate professor of mathematics, will receive $19,069 for a Hadoop cluster for teaching and researching phenomena associated with the analysis of massive data sets.