UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Christine Corl, daughter of Leo and Rose Corl of Bellefonte, received the Herbert E. Longenecker Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences' Annual Research Exhibition on March 16-17.
The award and exhibition, co-sponsored by the college and Gamma Sigma Delta, the honor society for agriculture and agricultural sciences, recognizes students for their research and presentation skills. The $300 award is funded by proceeds from an endowment by Herbert E. Longenecker, president emeritus of Tulane University, who earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Penn State in agricultural biochemistry in the 1930s.
A 1996 graduate of Bellefonte Area High School, Corl will receive her B.S. in animal bioscience in May 2000. Her exhibit was titled "Differential Effector Functions of Bovine CD4+ Lymphocytes During the Perinatal Period." Her research focuses on mastitis, a serious disease of dairy cows that costs American dairy farmers more than $2 billion each year due to decreased milk quantity and quality.
"We're looking to enhance the cow's immune system by determining the function of the immune cells and understanding why cows are more susceptible to mastitis during certain times of the lactation cycle," Corl says. "This research will be used to develop new vaccines and other protocols to enhance the cow's immune system and decrease antibiotic use, therefore ensuring a high quality product for consumers."
Corl is a member of Penn State's Dairy Science Club and the Coaly Society, the college's student honor society. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to study immunology.
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