Sherri is an avid reader who plays the piano and flute. She also likes playing basketball and soccer and dogsledding in the winter. Because she enjoys taking care of animals, Sherri hopes to become a veterinarian in the future. Her mentor is Dr. Kathryn Knecht from Ohio Northern University. "She has been very helpful in teaching me about testing and caring for animals," Sherri says.
Both of Sherri's grandparents had diabetes, and Sherri read that the disease is increasing in prevalence. She wanted to know if the herb Trigonella foenum (fenugreek) could help diabetics by reducing glucose absorption.
Sherri assigned 20 mice to four groups. The control group was fed sugar-free gelatin. The other groups were fed gelatin with various doses of fenugreek. An animal caregiver drew blood from each mouse, and Sherri analyzed the samples with a glucose meter, finding that the mice that ate 6 grams of fenugreek had absorbed the least glucose. Sherri also tested fecal matter to see how much glucose was absorbed in the intestines. She crushed fecal matter collected at various times with a pestle and added water. She then centrifuged the samples to separate solids from liquid. The liquid samples were then tested with a glucose meter.
