<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/news/2026-study-that-wouldnt-stay-small.aspx" dsn="news"><pubDate>05/22/2026 11:17:39 AM</pubDate><title>The Study That Refused to Stay Small</title><description>The slime mold didn’t care that it was being watched. In the soft glow of the microbiology lab at EICC’s Scott campus, students in white coats leaned over a row of Petri dishes, whispering predictions the way fans might around a racetrack. </description><author/><image><img src="/_images/news/2026-slime-mold-study.png" alt="Student in a lab coat and blue gloves examines a petri dish while an instructor in a white lab coat looks on in a science laboratory."/></image><image-caption/><tags><tag>EICC</tag><tag>Faculty</tag><tag>Student Story</tag></tags></item>