5/1/02

Charles Martin/Kathy Feminella/ 334/844-3698

EIGHT AU STUDENTS SELECTED FOR 'CUTTING-EDGE' SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECTS

AUBURN -- Eight Auburn University students have been selected to conduct cutting-edge research this summer with faculty mentors of their choice in three colleges as part of AU's "Peaks of Excellence" program.

The Cellular and Molecular Biosciences program, one of AU's seven Peaks of Excellence, is planting the seeds of discovery through a research program for undergraduate and clinical students that has generated national and international attention.

The eight Summer Research Scholarship students will work with faculty mentors in the Colleges of Agriculture, Sciences and Mathematics and Veterinary Medicine.

"This program provides opportunities for some of Auburn's brightest students to gain critical experience in modern research labs" says Frank Bartol, AU-CMB director. "The objective is to introduce students to the world of life science research and the wonder of discovery. Through this program we harness the energy and enthusiasm of these outstanding young people and help them to develop the skills they will need as tomorrow's scientists and clinicians."

Students selected for the program are Shelley Cooper of Reno, Nev.; Andy Craven of Jacksonville, Ala.; Derek Fortson of Phenix City, Ala.; Zach Henry of Homewood, Ala.; Mary Pham of Prattville, Ala.; Barbara Pritchard of Hoover, Ala.; Tucker Ryan of Greenville, Ala.; and Cathy Sybert of Baltimore. Each will receive a $3,000 scholarship. Faculty mentors, chosen by the students, will receive $2,000 to defray research costs.

Research projects will include studies of proteins obtained from insects that may improve wound healing, techniques for bovine embryo culture and cloning aimed at improving reproductive health, mechanisms through which bacteria invade their hosts, natural processes that cause mutations in viruses, canine models of muscular dystrophy, and the molecular basis of heart disease.

Most of the students are studying to be physicians or veterinarians. Sybert, a senior premed chemistry major, will attend the University of Maryland School of Medicine next year. In April, she received the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence and the Dean's Medal in Chemistry in the College of Science and Mathematics.

"I hope to become a physician working in both patient care and clinical research," said Sybert, who will be working this summer with Dr. Dean Schwartz of AU's Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Henry, a premed microbiology student, hopes to be a radiation oncologist or cancer researcher. "Working this summer with Dr. Sharon Roberts (in the Department of Biological Sciences) will be a great experience in addition to my regular classes and labs," he said.

Cooper, a pre-veterinary zoology major, added, "My goal is to become a small animal veterinarian and specialize in avian medicine. I would also like to conduct research in virology, immunology and oncology."

Bartol says the program is open to AU junior and senior undergraduates, as well as first and second year veterinary and pharmacy students that have never enrolled in a life science graduate program. Students must submit an essay explaining their interest in the program, along with academic transcripts and letters of support from faculty members or other scientists who can attest to their potential and merit.

Applications are reviewed by the student affairs committee of the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences program, which includes both faculty and graduate student representatives.

Bartol said some of the work of summer research scholars from previous years has already been published, and that students have been asked to represent Auburn at scientific meetings in the United States and abroad.

Kristen Hertwig, a student researcher last summer, was invited by the Council on Undergraduate Research, a national organization representing more than 850 academic institutions, to present her work on the biochemistry of bacterial virulence as part of the 2002 "Posters on Capital Hill" program in Washington, D.C. One of about 65 students selected through a national competition, Hertwig and her mentor, Douglas Goodwin of the Department of Chemistry, will share their research with members of Congress and representatives of many federal granting agencies.

Last fall, student Carrie Lee Bateman and Dr. Kenny Brock of the Department of Pathobiology were invited to represent AU and the CMB program at the ninth International Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where their work on bovine virology and epidemiology was presented. This meeting is attended by several thousand undergraduate students and their mentors from around the world.

"This year we are making sure that our students get their passports in order when they begin the summer program, so we don't miss opportunities for our students to take their research to the world," Bartol added. "These invitations are a testimony to the quality and scientific merit of research being done by Auburn students and their mentors. We expect more opportunities in the future. It is going to be an exciting summer."

may02:AU-biosciences

CONTACT: cmb@auburn.edu