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Lecture discusses botanical death

Stacey Darling-Novak, professor of biology, discusses her sabbatical research on the viability of orchid seeds during germination Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room. / photo by Katelyn Keeling
Stacey Darling-Novak, professor of biology, discusses her sabbatical research on the viability of orchid seeds during germination Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room. / photo by Katelyn Keeling

Kendra Craighead
Staff Writer

Stacey Darling-Novak, professor of biology, described her ongoing sabbatical research on corn and orchids Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room.

Darling-Novak explained the development of orchid seeds and the biological death of corn kernels.

She used a chemical called Auxin as a morphing agent to explore the possible medicinal uses of the orchid.

The presentation also included her research on regulating corn kernel death to discover ways to increase grain productivity.

“We are studying death, and we hope that we are inducing and accelerating death,” Darling-Novak said. “We are trying to find those genes that are involved in the death process.”

Cassie Vergara, freshman athletic training major, said Darling-Novak is the only professor she has seen whose research is still ongoing.

“Her extensive knowledge and passion for her work and biology, I can’t help but respect her for that,” Vergara said.

Darling-Novak’s lecture used technical terms and references that, to someone unfamiliar with the study of biology, may be hard to understand.

Vergara said she did not go into the lecture with any expectations and that up to this point, she has only experienced biology as a general education requirement, but nothing at the level of Darling-Novak’s lecture.

“I don’t think the presentation would have had the same effect if she had dumbed it down,” Vergara said.

Jenna Damon, sophomore biology major, said Darling-Novak’s passion was incredible.

“I know Stacey, I have been a TA for her class before, I know her teaching style, and it gets kind of crazy but she is cool,” Damon said. “A

lot of it goes over my head, but I like her passion for it.”

Darling-Novak was able to condense an incredibly complex and involved study into a one-hour presentation.

“I wish she could have explained more, but I understand the time constraint,” Damon said.

Professor of Humanities Al Clark concluded with some questions and asked Darling-Novak what it was she was looking for within her study and what she hoped to find.

“I’m looking for all of it, I’m looking for the bigger picture,” Darling-Novak said.

Kendra Craighead can be reached at kendra.craighead@laverne.edu.

Kendra Craighead
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