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LeBryant Pigeon


Posted Date: 02/22/2022

LeBryant Pigeon

LeBryant Pigeon, a senior from Graham-Dustin Public Schools, is a second-year WWTC Biomedical Science student. All second-year students completing the Biomedical Science program are required to select a capstone project and present their findings as a culmination of their academic experience at WWTC. For LeBryant’s capstone project, he chose to collect samples of propolis from around the country to test its antifungal and antibacterial effects.

Propolis is a resin-like material that bees create from saliva, beeswax, and substances from plants and trees. Due to its waxy nature, bees use the propolis to construct and repair their hives. But, scientists have also discovered that propolis contains antifungal and antibacterial properties.

With assistance from his Biomedical Science instructor, Cappi Coleman, he issued a Facebook request on a bee forum page asking for propolis samples. He received samples from 17 different locations: Hawaii, Death Valley, Oregon, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Illinois, and Oklahoma (Hughes County).

For his experiment, LeBryant tested the propolis samples with 3 gram negative bacteria, 2 gram positive bacteria, and one yeast (fungus). This resulted in 73 bacterial plates containing a positive control, negative control, antibiotic controls, propolis dissolved in alcohol, alcohol control, and raw propolis. “A huge amount of work went into this project, and LeBryant has worked very hard to get his data collected and tested,” stated Coleman.

From here, LeBryant plans to become a Microbiologist and researcher by attending the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) in Chickasha on a $20,000 scholarship. Once he has received 75 hours of college credit, he plans to do undergraduate research at USAO. “I am honored to have helped LeBryant find his career passion and to have played a part in his education at WWTC,” says Coleman.

Contact us for more information on reaching an exciting career through WWTC at 405.452.5500.