THE INDEPENDENT

Testing Tampons for Women's Health

Written by Manhattan Adams, Photos by Manhattan Adams and Donovon Riley

Fort Lewis College chemistry researchers investigate heavy metals in tampons.

In 2024, Berkeley published a first of its kind study quantifying heavy metals in tampons. Researchers at Fort Lewis College quickly took action. “I was actually just scrolling and it came up on my news – this article that Berkeley had looked for the first time to see what metal contaminants there were in tampons,” said Dr. Callie Cole of the FLC Chemistry Department....

2025 Hawk Tank Gala

Written by AJ Repinski

Students from the southwest celebrate the end of the business competition. 

On Saturday night, rain poured down on Durango, and students, faculty and community members gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hawk Tank competition.  At the annual Hawk Tank Gala, the competition’s winners were announced, and several thousand dollars were awarded to some of those who pitched business plans. However, the event was also a success for many others, as...

Students Test the Waters

Nels Christensen

Students take leaps for public health.

Starting in 2019, Fort Lewis College has been one of several universities awarded funds through the Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity and Planet (P3) grant program.  This grant is provided to support student-led research towards developments in technology to combat issues of public health and environmental challenges, according to the EPA’s...

Home Away From Home

Anja Tabor

Exchange students at Fort Lewis shared their experiences. The ups, downs, and learning curves that come with studying abroad.

Imagine going back to school, but starting a semester in an entirely new country. To help exchange students feel welcome, the International Programs Office creates a starter kit with essentials so incoming students don’t have to worry about buying them when they arrive, Yuriko Miller, the Study Abroad Coordinator at Fort Lewis, said. The language barrier and different class styles...

Listen to your Gut

Tiana Padilla

How food insecurity impacts your stomach microbiome

Among the diverse population of the Fort Lewis College student body, there is something that everyone has in common: everyone needs to eat. But what happens to the body when food is not easily accessible? That is what two student researchers intend to find out. Mikayla Leighton, a molecular biology major and political science minor, and Hannah Gallegos, a public health major, are working...

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