Department of

Biology

Mrs. Elsie Smith

Education

• B. A., Union University, Jackson, Tennessee
• M. S., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
• Additional Study in Radiation Biology; University of Tennessee, Memphis

• Testing the effects of herbs and spices on bacterial growth.

Undergraduate research projects supervised

• "The antimicrobial effect of allcin extracts of garlic (Allium salivum) on Staphylococcus epidermidis" (Robert Cusanelli).
• "Examination of the incidence of Salmonella on organic and commercially produced eggs" (Kelly Meyer).
• "The effects of a strong electromagnetic field on the growth of E. coli." (Daniel Holsinger).
• "Negative antimicrobial effects of cilantro extract on Sarcina lutea and E. coli" (Benjamin Pham).
• "Inhibition of the growth of Sarcina lutea by extracts of spearmint, Mentha spicata" (Heather Higdon).

Scholarship

• Reviewed the following books for Center of Scientific Studies website:
  
  1. The Coming Plague
  2. None of These Diseases
  3. No Germs Allowed
  4. Secret Agents: The Menace of Emerging Infections
• Co-authored the following paper: "The effect of nickel on thermophilic bacteria wastewater treatment" (Doanh Van and Elsie Y. Smith), presented at the Midsouth Area Engineering and Science Conference, May 11, 2005 at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.