A tunnel in the Clean Area of the Yates Shaft
“At Fernson, they’re working with different hops and temperatures
and with ways of brewing for different flavors for the beer,” she said.
“Different bacteria and micro-organisms are needed for producing the
proper flavors. If you brew it too hot, it produces a barnyard flavor.”
The next step could produce even more valuable information.
“Researchers are working with DNA testing to find out what (beer)
flavors different people can taste. They can then tailor flavors to them.
You have a little card and pick out the flavors they like,” she said.
“Right now, they’re at the point where the DNA sample is sent away.
It takes a while to get the results. But in the future, they hope to process
the DNA really fast.”
The process can hold implications for
obtaining faster DNA results, Schild said.
At another Sioux Falls site, the Sanford
research lab performs DNA testing for rare
children’s diseases such as certain cancers
and muscular dystrophy, she added.
“At the Sanford Research Lab, they can
take a skin sample and turn it into a stem
cell. They can also turn it into a nerve cell or
brain cell. It’s interesting how they can take
one cell that’s already following instructions
and be able to change it,” she said.
“The (Sanford) Children’s Hospital sends
a bunch of samples over to (the lab), if the
parents give consent, so they can research
Thermometer in the Sanford
different things that affect children. They
Underground Research Lab
have researchers seeking cures.”
The Sanford lab has taken on a
very fluid approach in the areas
where research takes them, Schild
said.
“They are researching a lot of
different things. Some of it ends
up working better for something
else, so they switch over,” she said.
A train car used in Sanford Underground
“They have a lot of different stages
Research Lab to transport researchers
of testing before it even goes to
human trials.”
The research has already resulted in one benefit, Schild said. Test
results come back in a day rather than a week.
This summer’s experiences held a special fascination for Schild, who
is entering the University of South Dakota. She is majoring in medical
biology with a goal of becoming a physician.
The Davis Bahcall Scholars in Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) near the Yates Shaft
“I always wanted to be a doctor, since I was little. The medical
biology program will prepare me well for medical school,” she said.
“I’m already familiar with USD and its facilities. In high school, we
made several trips to the medical school.
We visited places like the cadaver lab,
which was really interesting.”
In addition, she credited the strong
foundation provided at Yankton High
School with its Science Olympiad team,
Advanced Placement courses and the more
recent Health Occupations Students of
America (HOSA) program.
Photoreceptors in the Particle
“I want to be a practicing doctor, but
Accelerator at Fermilab
I’m also interested in a little bit
of research,” she said. “I’m not as
interested in physics, so I’m really
glad that they broadened the scope
(of the Davis-Bahcall Scholars) this
year.”
In The Dark
For much of her scientific work
this summer, Schild found herself
Replica of the Particle Accelerator
totally in the dark. She spent
at Fermilab
time far below the earth’s surface.
She visited, among other places, the Sanford Deep Underground
Laboratory in the Black Hills and the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy.
She also traveled to the the Fermi and Argonne labs in Chicago before
jetting to Italy for a cultural as well as scientific experience.
“I was super excited that I got to go to these different labs and to
Italy,” she said.
Few outsiders are allowed inside the underground lab in the Black
Hills, which was the former Homestake Mine in Lead, Schild said.
“My uncle, Brooks Schild, always wanted to go to the underground
lab. He’s a science teacher and a National Guard officer, and he didn’t
get in, but I did,” she said with a laugh. “They don’t allow a lot of the
public to go into the underground lab. Usually, it’s someone like the
governor.”
When it comes to science, Schild said dark matter — well, matters.
“It’s important learning about dark matter,” she said. “It helps us
advance our science and to understand how the universe was created
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