Soon-to-be Honors Tutorial grad ready to put research to work

Growing up in a Cincinnati suburb, Jennifer Dean would wander through the woods behind her house, fascinated by everything. "I was extremely curious," she recalls. "When I found something new, I had to know what it was."

Dean still likes to wander in the woods - but with purpose. The environmental and plant biology major in the Honors Tutorial College created a biomonitoring survey for the Monday Creek Restoration Project through her work with Ohio University's Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD). A collaboration among local community members and more than 20 organizations, the Monday Creek project seeks to revive the 27-mile creek severely damaged by a century of acid mine drainage.

"Jen has been an invaluable part of this project," says Scott Miller, ILGARD's environmental projects manager. The data she has collected will be vital as ILGARD seeks more grant funding for the project, he says.

Rick Fatica Graduating senior Jennifer Dean collects research data.

Dean, who graduates in June, is among a growing group of undergraduate students leaving the university with invaluable research training ­ an experience that used to be reserved for graduate students. Her work goes beyond the microscope, though. She's also been an advocate for the Monday Creek effort, speaking to schoolchildren and organizations about the impact of cleaning up the creek.

"There's confusion about why we're doing this, because streams in this area have been this way for nearly 100 years," she says. "It's the only way people have known these streams, and they don't see how we can reverse it."

Although she doesn't consider herself an environmental extremist, Dean does believe science can make a difference.

"I guess I'm a bit of an idealist, but I want to do as much as I can to alleviate the world's problems," she says. "The way I have to go about that is through research, finding what needs to be fixed and how to fix it."

That passion isn't unusual among Honors Tutorial College students, says college Dean Joseph Berman.

"They're focused, driven, innovative and eager to tackle almost anything in their fields. Jen is an example of that."

Honors Tutorial College students work with faculty to create challenging courses of study in 25 majors.

"And these aren't just intellectuals," Berman says. "Our students are active in campus and community activities." Dean is an example here as well: She's a member of the university's club cycling team.

The Honors Tutorial College is one of the most competitive at Ohio University, with only a fourth of its applicants selected for admission. And of the 83 percent of students who go straight into graduate school, many are accepted directly into doctoral programs. Another 10 percent go on to grad school within five years of graduation.

One of those may be Dean, who wants to do field research for a while before pursuing an advanced degree.

"I'd like to get out in the world, then maybe get into academia," she says.

June commencement
Graduate commencement is at 10 a.m. June 9, and the two undergraduate ceremonies are at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. June 10 at the Convocation Center. United Press International White House Bureau Chief Helen Thomas is the undergraduate commencement speaker. For information, call (740) 593-4196 or see the Web at www.ohiou.edu/commencement/