Brothers' Unexpected Research Reward

We never expected a course-based research project to lead to two publications, including one that earned the Best Paper Award in the Utah Academy of Sciences Journals, Arts and Letters. Growing up, brotherly competition often arose between me and my older brother, Landon. Whether that was in sports, games, or our knowledge, we would always compete to see who was better or more knowledgeable. Although there was strong competition, in the end it was always friendly. 

Landon and I both attended Weber State, following in the footsteps of our oldest brother, Brenon. As pre-med and pre-dental students, Landon and I chose to pursue a degree in Microbiology as it related closest to our interests and satisfied many of the prerequisites required for our desired higher education. This is where our academic competition was at an all-time high. Throughout our degrees, we had several courses we took together, promoting an opportunity to push each other to learn better, study harder, and score higher. Landon preceded me by a few semesters, setting the bar high to begin with. This trend of enrolling in the same courses led us to enroll in the Microbial Ecology course taught by Professor Katrina Twing, Ph.D. It was here where we would have to learn to be partners, a different dynamic than we had ever had before in our journey.

The Ecology course was an upper-level division course that included a lab portion, which would involve designing and leading our research project, specifically aimed at isolating antibiotic-resistant bacteria from soil. For me, it was a big step up. Landon had pushed me to take this high-level course, but I feared it was going to be too hard for me. Despite being a freshman, I pushed myself to meet the demands of the course, motivated by Landon, who constantly encouraged me to work harder. As the course progressed, I was nominated for the Research Fellows Program–a scholarship initiative that provides mentorship and support to student researchers. Additionally, Landon was given a different research scholarship to fund his tuition costs. These opportunities further motivated our “brotherly duo” and laid a foundation for what was to come. 

Throughout the course, Professor Twing was an incredible resource. She offered guidance, mentorship, and encouragement throughout the research process. The course required dedication to perform well, but also to genuinely engage in what we were learning from our project. Pushed outside of our comfort zone, we had to learn to be independent in our research. This required us to change up the pace of our constant competition and team up for a project. This consistent effort paid off and led to milestones that shaped our undergraduate experience. 

By the end of the class project, we had successfully located isolated bacteria showing antibiotic resistance. But based on additional data, Professor Twing suggested that we might have stumbled on something much more significant–possibly even unknown bacterial strains. She encouraged us to continue research under her mentorship throughout the following summer and beyond. 

We accepted her offer and committed ourselves to independent research. The nature of the project, however, was much more challenging than we anticipated. Countless hours were spent comparing our data with online databases and consulting with written papers. The work started to feel too complicated for our understanding. We faced roadblocks in our work and obstacles that we felt were above our comprehension level. Although oftentimes discouraged or lost, perseverance helped us to push through. Eventually, we partnered with researchers at Smith College in Boston, MA, expanding our collaboration and refining our research. 

As we continued, we uncovered unique traits in our bacteria that stood out from the existing literature. Persistence ultimately paid off. Our research concluded, and our findings led to two separate journal publications! One of which was in The Utah Academy of Sciences Journals, Arts and Letters, of which we were co-first authors. The second article was published in the Microbiology Resource Announcements. We were fortunate enough to present our research both at Weber State and at the Utah Academy of Sciences in poster sessions and talk to many individuals about our respective fields of research. 

What began as a simple course requirement turned into a transformative experience. I  became a Research Fellow, and together we achieved something rare for undergraduates–receiving two scientific publications as brothers. These accomplishments have strengthened our resumes, enhanced our research skills, and broadened our career opportunities. None of this would have been possible without the mentorship of Professor Twing. She believed in us, even when the results weren’t what we expected. Her encouragement made all the difference.