Former COD Theater Major Researches Microbiology in South Africa

GLEN ELLYN, Ill., June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former College of DuPage student Vincent Scola is completing his master's degree in microbial ecology in the arid expanses of southern Africa's Namib Desert.

Working with the Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG) at the University of Pretoria, Scola's research for his master's thesis, "Desert Soil Microbial Communities Across a Xeric Stress Gradient," takes an up-close look at the effect water stress has on the microbial communities living under extreme conditions in the soil of the Namib.

Scola described his research site in the Namib as a beautiful, otherworldly place and said at first visit, he felt as if he was entering the first human outpost on Mars. He also said South Africa is a country of extremes.

"This morning I was trail running in a park near my campus and almost collided with a herd of wild giraffe," he said. "This afternoon, I was using the DNA sequencing facility where the first genome in Africa was sequenced. It is things like that which make me take stock about how varied this place is and how lucky I am to be here."

The Elmwood Park native said that he has felt welcome in South Africa and while he's visiting as an outsider, he's never felt out of place. He also said that there is a great feeling of possibility in the country and that his experience has included much more than scientific research.

"We are only 20 years removed from the end of apartheid and the first free elections," he said. "I was here during the death of Nelson Mandela and the first election in which the voters had never lived under apartheid. They call that generation the "born frees" and their influence is starting to move the country in a new direction. It has been incredible to be here watching it all unfold."

Scola began his college career as a Theatre major at COD but discovered a new passion after enrolling in a biology course. Drawn in by the intricacies and the interconnectedness of biological systems, he was hooked during the section of the course that covered mitochondria, a cellular organelle that is responsible for generating chemical energy in a cell.

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SOURCE College of DuPage