Congratulations to Okiki Ajana-Adegboro, a junior biology student in the Integrative Sciences program who used her experiential learning requirement at Harrisburg University to study the effects of anesthetics on Venus flytraps, a mobile plant that catches insects. Despite the use and prevalence of many anesthetics, the medical community does not know how the body processes the drugs. Okiki’s research focused on exposing the Venus flytraps to an increasing amount of anesthetics and comparing anesthetic recovery times to humans and animals. Okiki discovered that plants respond to anesthetics in a similar manner to other species. These results are promising in furthering the understanding of how people and animals process anesthetics. Okiki presented her research at the 2023 annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science and won an honorable mention in the “Women in Science” competition for the quality of her work and oral presentation. Okiki’ research, guided by Dr Richard Jackson and Erica Ward, was recognized as a standout among the 100+ research presentations at the conference. Okiki’s hard work and dedication truly showcases the value and significance of the Experiential Learning process at HU. Learn more about Integrative Sciences at HU https://www.harrisburgu.edu/programs/bs-integrative-sciences/
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