Justice Williams ’23 co-authors paper published in the American Journal of Infection Control

Dec. 15, 2022

Maryville College senior Justice Williams ’23 has co-authored a paper published in the American Journal of Infection Control. The paper, titled “Risks of exposure to microbial contamination in eyewash stations,” was co-authored by Dr. Clifford Swanson, Dr. Qiang He and Williams.

Williams, originally from Columbus, Ohio, now living in Clarksville, Tennessee when not on campus, is an Environmental Science major with a minor in Spanish who will graduate in December 2023. Over the summer, Williams took part in the Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Environmental Health Science (REU Program) at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. There, Williams proposed a research topic and worked with a graduate student, Swanson, and faculty advisor, He, to complete said research. It challenged Williams to create her own schedule in the lab and conduct her own independent research.

Williams sought application to the REU Program at the suggestion of Dr. Joy Buongiorno, assistant professor of Environmental Biology. 

“Justice showed great promise for research in my organismal biology course, as exemplified by the research topic she chose for the proposal I assigned in the class,” Buongiorno said. “She was interested in using gene editing technology to help protect the trees in the MC Orchard. Her aptitude to learn and explain complex topics made her a perfect candidate, in my opinion, for the REU program at UTK.”

Williams explained that her experiences at Maryville College influenced her ability to succeed in the REU Program. 

“The lab experience I got during my time at MC helped me greatly with recognizing the lab instruments and/or knowing how to use them,” Williams said. “At MC, they encourage us to ask questions if something’s unclear or confusing; in the same way, they also encourage curious thinking to enrich our learning experience.”

Since Williams is interested in studying water quality in distribution stations, she conducted research on microbial contamination in eyewash stations. The research she completed during the REU Program connects to Williams’ future research interests. The senior study is a required component of the College’s curriculum. Each degree candidate completes a capstone research project under the supervision of an academic advisor. Normally, the senior study is connected to the student’s interests and possibly career path. For Williams’ senior study, she is interested in investigating potential biological contaminants in the water of eyewash stations within the Sutton Science Center at the College. Williams hypothesized that her senior study might focus on bacterial communities present besides other possible contributing factors, such as water pressure, pH, and temperature. 

Swanson, He, and Williams’s research found that more contaminants were present in eyewash stations related to “water age.” They found that Enterobacter and Mycobacterium were present in the eyewash stations, suggesting, if not properly flushed, eyewash stations might lead to pathogen exposure. 

After graduating, Williams’ plans to attend a master’s program in either Forestry or Environmental Science, with a long-term goal of working as an environmental consultant for an international firm.

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”