A Westminster College senior chemistry major spent 10 weeks this past summer studying different sweetcorn variations with a food science research group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)program.

Ellian Ascencio of Venetia, Pa., assisted with a study focused on breeding high lysine (protein) and color pigment content into sweetcorn. Over the course of the summer, he analyzed 35 different sweetcorn crosses for total starch, sugar and flavonoid (color) pigment contents.

Ascencio also had the opportunity to participate in field work, which involved doing self-pollinations for several sweetcorn crosses. He learned how to note genetic mutations and the rate the sugar is converted into kernels.

Three main mutations, Ascencio said, consist of sugary, sugary enhanced, and shrunken, each resulting in different levels of starch and sugar.

He said the “super sweet” corn you might find at the grocery store most likely has the shrunken mutation, which generally produces kernels with the highest sugar content.

Ascencio said he strengthened his research skills and gained confidence by participating in a graduate-level research program.

“I now feel more comfortable with working on research independently and have a better idea of what I am looking for in a graduate school program. I would highly recommend an REU program for anyone who is interested in participating in an immersive research experience or is considering graduate school in the future,” said Ascencio.

Ascencio is considering attending graduate school for food science or chemistry after earning his undergraduate degree at Westminster.

The Integrated Computational and Experimental Chemistry NSF-REU Program is made possible through the collaboration of the U.S. Department of Defense's Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Education (ASSURE) program and the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program.

For more information about Westminster’s chemistry program, click here.

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