Testing the Waters of research John Crowe, a junior biology major, decided to test the waters of research in the waters of Buffalo Creek, which runs alongside the iconic gazebo and past the entrance to Milligan’s campus, by looking at E. coli that lives in the water. “The bulk of my research consists of taking samples at specific points on the creek and evaluating the number of bacteria that grow after lab tests,” said Crowe, who is from Johnson City. Through his research, Crowe also is assessing the impact the college may have on the creek’s contamination. He is using the turbidity test in particular, which tests the amount of light that can pass through water to find any correlations between overall stream health and bacteria counts. Crowe credits his faculty mentor, Dr. Michael Whitney, associate professor of biology, with guiding and teaching him in how to conduct scientific research. “Prior to going through the process of research, I thought finding a question and answering it would be simple. While I can ask a simple question, getting to the answer takes time and effort,” said Crowe. He is looking forward to the conclusion of his data collection so he can send his findings to the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation, who will then update their information on Buffalo Creek with his results.