A local Tamaqua Area High School graduate at Lebanon Valley College is spending part of his summer collaborating with faculty and fellow classmates for a scientific summer research project.

Patrick McMullen, of Tamaqua, is conducting a greenhouse experiment and field study this summer on how common chickweed negatively impacts garlic mustard.Garlic mustard is a common invasive, herbaceous biennial that has invaded eastern deciduous forests across Pennsylvania. It has out competed native wildflowers and suppressed tree regeneration.McMullen is pursuing a bachelor of science in biology at the college.