Alicia Cattaneo ('07) — Mansfield, Ohio

Summer research programs provide undergraduate students at The College of Wooster with invaluable hands-on experience. In the case of Alicia Cattaneo, however, the project turned out to be as much “hands-in” as “hands-on.”

A junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Mansfield and a graduate of Ashland High School, Cattaneo spent much of the summer sticking her hands into the stomach of a fistulated cow at the nearby Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). Her project, sponsored through a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) grant, focused on the immune system of cattle, specifically the development of a stable vitamin liposome that would protect nutrients from the microorganisms in the rumen (the first of four chambers in a cow’s stomach).

“The rumen is filled with bacteria, protozoa, and fungi — all naturally occurring elements that help to break down feed and give the cow energy, protein, and nutrients,” explains Cattaneo. “Unfortunately, these elements also break down vitamins and compromise the immune system. Researchers here are looking to come up with a way to encapsulate the vitamins and protect them so that they can be absorbed later in the digestive process.”

Cattaneo collaborated with Dr. Steve Loerch of the OARDC, and Scott Peters, a College of Wooster graduate and a chemist with Ingredient Innovations International, the company developing the liposome, during her 10-week internship. The success of the study will be measured through an analytical technique known as high performance liquid chromatography, which will determine how well the vitamins were protected in the rumen.

“It was a great experience overall, especially the work with my advisors,” says Cattaneo. “I knew nothing about the anatomy of a cow’s stomach, but I learned so much in a short period of time. I also learned to build my research skills, which will definitely help me with my Independent Study.” (Wooster’s nationally acclaimed senior research project in which students explore a topic of interest while working one-on-one with a member of Wooster’s faculty).

Cattaneo’s advisors were equally impressed by her work on the project. “Alicia has all the ingredients of a good scientist,” says Loerch. “She is enthusiastic, energetic, inquisitive, and intelligent. Our project was very challenging, but Alicia was able to apply analytical procedures and work through the hurdles and challenges we encountered.”

Cattaneo plans to attend veterinary school after graduation and believes she will be as well prepared as any student seeking admission. “Undergraduate research is a process at Wooster,” she says. “From the first-year research experience to the sophomore research program to junior I.S. and ultimately senior I.S., Wooster has provided me with opportunities I could not have received at any other college. The neatest thing about the process is that you wind up learning things you had never thought about before.”