How does a Kenyon student double-majoring in Spanish and biology use both of those disciplines simultaneously? Just ask Emily Vaughn. She recently spent a summer in Irapuato, Mexico, conducting research with a leading authority on genetic engineering.

Vaughn was excited when she learned of a Kenyon program, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, that pairs science students with international scholars. She had already spent six weeks in Peru on a study-abroad program after her first year at Kenyon, and she longed to return to Latin America to pursue biological research.

The program was "the perfect way for me to blend my two majors," says Vaughn, who pursued a Spanish major because she strongly believes in learning a second language. But biology, her other major, remains her truest passion.

Vaughn's research has made her a believer in the benefits of genetic engineering in plants. "The science has gone a long way toward producing a greater abundance of food of higher quality," she says. These advances, she notes, could ultimately help reduce hunger and environmental damage worldwide.

In Mexico, Vaughn worked at the National Polytechnic Institute in the laboratory of Luis Herrera Estrella, a noted biologist. Her research explored the effects that phosphorous starvation has on plant gene expression.

While her project is but one component leading to overall advances in genetic engineering, it is perhaps most notable for the effect it has had on Vaughn herself. "Kenyon has provided me with the opportunity to pursue my interests in a unique way," she says. "I think many people find that to be the case here."