The symposium, sponsored by the Hughes Undergraduate Research Program, included students from several Atlanta area institutions who presented work conducted in the fields of biology, chemistry, geology and medicine.
Matheau Julien, a junior biology major at Emory, shared the results of research he began last summer at Cornell University. Julien worked with plant tissue culture cells from Pacific Yew trees, the natural source of the plant product taxol, which is beneficial for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancers. Taxol is effective against these cancers, but the drug carries a large price. Treatment of one patient requires the sacrifice of three 100-year-old trees. Julien's research centers around production of taxol and other related taxanes from plant cells raised in the lab. He treats these cells with elicitors, compounds that induce plant immune responses, to see if the plant cells will increase their taxol production. The results of his work are promising but inconclusive at this point. Julien learned about the summer research opportunity in a class taught by Arri Eisen. When asked about his experience, Julien said, "I had a great time and learned a lot."
His positive response delights Pat Marsteller, director of the Hughes undergraduate programs at Emory. The research programs provide undergraduates with an opportunity to evaluate career fields such as biological research and public health. The students also interact with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, people they would not meet in their normal course of study. Kisha Dyer, a junior biology major, is taking full advantage of the research opportunities. Dyer spent the summer in Professor Al Merrill's biochemistry lab and now is investigating a new area of research in Associate Professor Barry Yedvobnick's biology lab. She hopes that these experiences will aid her in her choice of graduate study.
This year's symposium, the fourth one held, saw a significant increase in attendance over prior years, with more faculty and student participation. Marsteller hopes that this symposium will expand into an annual event involving a variety of scientific disciplines and students from all Atlanta area colleges.
-- Michele Arduengo