Above: Because of the outstanding nature of the research done for their Distinguished Honors in Action Project, members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Omicron Alpha chapter at MGCCC’s Jefferson Davis Campus were invited to meet with the deputy director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Front row, from left: Dr. Pat West, Phi Theta Kappa advisor and Honors College director; Teresa Wells, Phi Theta Kappa advisor and Honors College director; Katherine Norman, president of Omicron Alpha Chapter (Jefferson Davis Campus); and Dr. Susan Scaggs, vice president of Membership and Student Engagement, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Back row, from left: Dr. A. Stanley Meiburg, acting deputy administrator, Office of the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency; MGCCC students Yavonnie Edwards, Sharita Amaker and Corwin Drummond; and Dr. Troy Pierce, chief scientist, U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program.

The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Omicron Alpha chapter at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College received several international awards during the 2016 Phi Theta Kappa NerdNation convention in National Harbor, Maryland, April 6-9.

With more than 2,000 chapters from around the world competing in the awards, the Jefferson Davis Campus chapter was named to the Top 100 Chapters and won Five Star Chapter Status; Distinguished Chapter Award; Distinguished Theme Award – Honors in Action, Theme 4; Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award; and Distinguished Chapter Advisor Team Award, Teresa Wells and Dr. Patricia West.

The Distinguished Honors in Action Project Award and Distinguished Theme Award are based on the group’s work with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Project. The project is an in-depth study of the water quality of the Turkey Creek watershed in Gulfport. The project began with research on the overall topic of water quality as conducted by students Kaleigh Vicknair and Leigh Beaver.  Members focused the subject to Turkey Creek specifically while researching the Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Program and the existing measures taken in the Turkey Creek area.

After forming a partnership with the EPA, MDEQ and Dr. James Farmer, an MGCCC microbiology instructor at the Jefferson Davis Campus, the group began conducting training exercises to teach members how to properly take samples from the water and use the IDEXX Colilert System.

The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Omicron Alpha chapter at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College received several international awards during the 2016 Phi Theta Kappa NerdNation convention in National Harbor, Maryland, April 6-9. Standing, from left: Teresa Wells, chapter advisor; MGCCC students Matthew Toche, Theo Cervi, Jordan Wildhaber, Gabby Monk and Nikki Brown; Dr. Pat West, chapter advisor; MGCCC students DeShayla Jackson, Yavonnie Edwards, Adam Dunnells and Corwin Drummond; and Elizabeth Taylor, Phi Theta Kappa international vice president of Division II. Center, kneeling: MGCCC student Sharita Amaker.

Students Sharita Amaker and Yavonnie Edwards were responsible for training and bringing new members into the project. At the conclusion of four months of sample gathering at three main sites, the data collected showed that two of the sites were of particular concern based upon the E.coli counts present. Student Corwin Drummond then presented the findings to the Turkey Creek community leaders. With this knowledge, the Turkey Creek community took official measures to improve this waterway.

“Going forward, the chapter will continue sampling and work towards finding specific causes for the pollution,” West said. “And because of the outstanding nature of our research, we were invited to meet with the deputy director of the EPA, Dr. Stanley Meiburg, in Washington while at the national conference.”

The Omicron Alpha chapter also received numerous regional awards for the Mississippi-Louisiana region, including Five Star Chapter Status; Golden Key Award Winner, Corwin Drummond; Most Distinguished Chapter Award, First Place; Honors Study Topic, Theme 4, First Place; Honors in Action Project Award, First Place; Distinguished College Project Award. 10th Place; Distinguished Chapter Advisor Team Award, Teresa Wells and Dr. Patricia West; Continued Excellence Award for Advisors, Teresa Wells; Horizon Award for Advisors, Teresa Wells; and Horizon Award for Advisors, Dr. Patricia West.

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