The Sisters Who Became Research Partners

What do soap and sweet potatoes have in common? Not much; but both did lead sisters Melinda and Carolyn Hoyt to study chemistry at LETU.

The two out of ten siblings from Ackley, Iowa, didn’t always plan on attending college together, but after discovering the combination of LETU’s serious academics and faith focus, they both felt it was the place for each of them.

Melinda, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in May, and Carolyn Hoyt, who will be a junior chemistry major this fall, eventually ended up not only choosing the same major, but also joining the same research team.

Melinda (left) and Carolyn Hoyt

Their mutual interest in chemistry began long before their shared time at LETU.

“This may seem like a strange story,” Carolyn said, “But I initially was drawn to chemistry because of soap. When I was taking high school chemistry, I learned that soap works to remove stains and dirt because it has a hydrophobic end (attracted to the stain) and a hydrophilic end (attracted to water). Around that time I had an article of clothing that had a stain. I wanted to remove it, but we had no stain-remover in the house. I simply applied a concentrated amount of soap to the affected area and, lo and behold, the stain was completely removed!

“I was so fascinated by this proof of chemistry that I decided I wanted to pursue it in college. I wanted to learn more about why things work the way they do and felt chemistry could best answer my questions.”

Melinda credits her interest in chemistry to an early inventor and his work with crops:

“I read a biography on George Washington Carver and was astonished that he was able to create over a hundred products from the peanut and sweet potato through chemistry. I loved the idea of creating entirely new materials or household goods that everyone buys. The knowledge of chemistry allows you to make such new materials from the ground up, or from molecular scale to final product.”

At LETU, they’ve worked side-by-side for the past two summers on Dr. Vivian Fernand’s research project, optimizing sensors, testing reagents, and earning valuable research credit – a rarity in the undergraduate world. The sisters are still far from ending their research days.

Carolyn will continue to research while pursuing her chemistry degree. Melinda’s preparing to begin classes for Iowa State’s Ph.D program in Materials Science and Engineering this fall, which she credits in part to having done research during her time at LETU.

“My undergraduate research experience built a solid recommendation to being accepted into grad school. I’m pretty determined I want to do it full-time,” Melinda said. “That’s why I chose to pursue a Ph.D. Ultimately, I'd like to work at a company like IBM or Apple and design new computer-chip or circuitry materials to improve their electronic devices.”

Most sisters don’t get to attend college together, but Melinda and Carolyn recommend it.

“It's been a great time to grow closer together. Since we were both in the same major we could, of course, talk about classes. But more than that, we simply spent more time together. Carolyn's been a great help in taking pauses to look at happenings in life and laugh, in between intervals of hard studying,” Melinda said.

“I have enjoyed getting to spend more time with my sister here at school,” Carolyn added. “We didn't really do much together when we were in high school, but here we've been able to do more. We've participated in research together, been on long road-trips together, talked chemistry together. I value the time I've been able to spend with Melinda here very highly. I've gotten to know her better and have been privileged to learn from her. I hope to be like her in many respects some day.”

For the first time in years, they’re attending different schools, but they’ll always share a sisterly bond, scientific interest, and alma mater.