Dramatic changes are happening inhigher education. Instead of simplymemorizing copious pages of lecturenotes, today’s undergraduates arechallenged to become active contrib-utors to developing new knowledge.Murray State University (MSU) isworking to become Kentucky’s insti-tution of choice for students whowant to perform significant researchand do real scholarly or creative workas undergraduates.

While student research, scholar-ship and creative activity are blos-soming around campus, MSU’s newbiomedical science program is partic-ularly exciting. With the help of agenerous grant from the HowardHughes Medical Institute, MSU isbuilding the foundation for an inter-disciplinary program involving biologyand chemistry faculty and students inan integrated research and teaching

program. This interdisciplinary com-munity of faculty and student schol-ars, striving to advance the frontiersof knowledge, is an essential elementof a robust academic program.

Today, many of our incoming biolo-gy majors plan to pursue health-related careers. Our students’attraction to medicine is easilyexplained by the exploding interestin biomedical research on the nation-al level and the number of nationallyrenowned medical research insti-tutions in our region, such as St. Jude Children’s Re-search Hospital in Memphis,Humana Hospital in Louis-ville, and the medical centers of WashingtonUn ive r s i t y,Vanderb i l tUniversity, University ofIllinois and University ofLouisville. Recognizing the

Under the leadership of John Mateja,Ph.D., Murray State Universityreceived its Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute award in August, 2000.

For more information contact:John MatejaDirectorUndergraduate Researchand Scholarly Activity OfficeMurray State UniversityMurray, Ky 42071270-762-3192email: ursa@murraystate.edu

Murray State University’s biomedical science faculty team includes:

Dr. David Canning (Developmental Biology)Dr. J. Ricky Cox (Biochemistry)Dr. Terry Derting (Physiology)Dr. Leon Duobinis-Gray (Parasitology)Dr. Tim Johnston (Molecular Biology/Microbiology)Dr. Jin Liu (Bioorganic Chemistry)

Dr. Mark Masthay (Physical Chemistry/Biophysics)Dr. James Stuart (Medical Microbiology)Dr. Robert Volp (Toxicology, Biochemistry)Dr. Sterling Wright (Neurophysiology)Dr. Edmund Zimmerer (Genetics/Molecular Genetics)

Writers:Denise BrazzellGina CrawleyJessica GayLee Retzlaff

Jennifer RipperdaDarla Troop

Photography:Karolyn Pomeroy

Faculty Advisors:Alma HaleMiles KimballGross MageeRobin Proulx

Design:Robert PieroniTim EdwardsPrepress Production:Jennifer Bodinof

“ T o d a y ’ s u n d e r g r a d u a t e s a r e c h a l l e n g e d t o b e c o m e a c t i v ec o n t r i b u t o r s t o d e v e l o p i n g n e w k n o w l e d g e ! ”

need to develop research opportuni-ties for students in this area, approx-imately five years ago the College ofScience, Engineering and Technologybegan to develop a research-richinterdisciplinary program in biomed-ical sciences.

Murray State students now havethe opportunity to participate in anarray of biomedically relatedresearch. Today our undergraduatesare actively engaged in studies ofextracellular matrix effects on geneexpression, site-directed mutagene-sis of ion channels, spectroscopy andphotochemistry of photosyntheticand visual systems, mechanisms of gene expression, gene sequencingof antibiotic resistance, mapping ofproviral sequences, metabolism of toxicants, protozoan structurestudies, recognition of aminoglyco-side antibiotics by enzymes, andreproductive endocrinology.

In 2001, MSU’s Department ofBiological Sciences introduced a newresearch-centered biomedical sci-

ences degree. This program incor-porates 15 credit hours of

research into a student’s four-year experience. This aca-demic-year exposure, com-bined with multiple sum-mer internships, gives bio-medical science studentshundreds of hours workingside-by-side with faculty inresearch laboratories. By

the time MSU biomedical scienceundergraduates receive their Bachelorof Science degrees, they will havemore hands-on laboratory experiencethan many first, and even some sec-ond, year graduate students.

In addition to excellent on-campusresearch opportunities, MSU’sHoward Hughes award has enabled usto team with outstanding researchcenters and universities to provideour undergraduates with off-campusresearch opportunities. Off-campussites include St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital, The CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, Oak RidgeNational Laboratory, VanderbiltUniversity and Johns HopkinsUniversity.

While the cornerstone of theHoward Hughes award is our newBiomedical Science degree programand our Howard Hughes Under-graduate Research Scholars, the pro-gram is truly much more. With MSU

and Howard Hughes support, the newUndergraduate Research andScholarly Activity (URSA) Office hasbeen created to encourage under-graduate research, scholarly and cre-ative activity across the campus andto promote undergraduate scholar-ship on all six of Kentucky’s regionaluniversity campuses. To this end, theURSA office coordinated the firstmulti-campus event, Posters-at-the-Capitol, held in Frankfort, Kentuckyin January 2002. Posters-at-the-Capitol, which was attended byGovernor Paul Patton and membersof Kentucky’s House and Senate,showcased undergraduate researchand scholarship and helped Kentuckylegislators better understand theimportance of undergraduate schol-arship to our students’ educations.Our ultimate goal is to establishstate-supported internships forundergraduates from across theCommonwealth.

Adam Farley has been fascinated by science for as long as hecan remember. He still vividly recalls his first chemistry set andsome of those very early experiments.

Now, thanks to the generosity of the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute, Farley’s “chemistry set” is much more sophisticated.Today, he uses modern biochemistry techniques and high-techcomputers to combat antibiotic resistance.

“If we are successful,” Farley said, “the results of our exper-iments could open the door for the reuse of antibiotics that arenow considered to be ineffective.”

MOVING ON TO ADVANCED CHEMISTRY SETS

“The learning process is nonstop on my HHMI proj-ect. It is so different from the classroom. In theclassroom you just see and hear the words. As youmake measurements in the laboratory, the words take on a physical meaning.”

There’s Nothing Like Working in a Lab

When Brian Greenwell was asked why he spends so much timeworking on his research project, he exclaimed, “I just enjoyworking in the lab.”

“In high school, the best class I had was my advanced place-ment biology class because we spent a lot of time doing experi-ments. I just learn more when I’m in the lab,” explainedGreenwell.

The biology major from Owensboro, Kentucky, did not lose anytime finding his way into a laboratory when he arrived at MurrayState. By the middle of his first semester he was volunteering inthe research laboratory of Dr. James Stuart, a medical microbi-ologist. By the beginning of the second semester, he was alsohelping Dr. William Spencer, an aquatic botanist, in an introduc-tory botany, teaching laboratory. He was in his third semester atMurray State when he learned of the Howard Hughes program.

“I had been helping others in the lab but I saw the Hughes pro-gram as a way in which I could develop my own research proj-ect,” Greenwell said. “You can bet I wasn’t going to pass up thatopportunity,” he said.

When the Howard Hughes applications were reviewed, therewas no question about whom Stuart wanted in his laboratory –Brian Greenwell.

Dr. Stuart became Greenwell’s mentor and the two beganto study and assay bacteriophages, viruses normally found

in sewage, of Enterococcus faecalis, a bacterium thatinfects humans.

“If we can find a phage that infects an antibiotic resistantstrain of Enterococcus faecalis, that phage might also have thepotential to transfer that resistance to a formally nonresistantstrain of Enterococcus faecalis, making it resistant to the antibi-otic. This process is called transduction,” Greenwell said.

While Stuart outlined the project goals and the basic proce-dure, it was up to Greenwell to perfect the procedures and movethe project forward.

“He really let me work it out for myself,” Greenwell said. “Heallowed me to perfect my procedure. We had daily meetings todiscuss my progress and any problems I was having.”

“My first goal was to isolate 10 bacteriophages from humansewage using enrichment and plating techniques,” Greenwellsaid. The phages were then cross-streaked against 14 differentcapsular strains of Enterococcus faecalis, with Greenwellrecording the sensitivity levels of each strain. The DNA of eachphage was isolated and cut with four restriction enzymes toprove its uniqueness on the molecular level. Greenwell com-pared the banding patterns and established the uniqueness ofeach phage. Work on the transduction assays is about to begin.

Greenwell said the research is important becauseEnterococcus faecalis is a growing nosocomial, or hospital

“These antibiotics, called aminoglycosides, can fight bacteri-al infections like endocarditis, which can destroy heart valves.Aminoglycosides are also used to treat urinary tract, intra-abdominal, wound and pelvic infections,” Farley went on to say.

“Adam works incredibly hard and contributes new ideas toour research,” said Ricky Cox, Adam’s research mentor and afaculty member in the Department of Chemistry at MurrayState.“It is hard to believe that Adam is just starting his jun-ior year.”

Farley remarked, “The learning process is nonstop on myHHMI project. It is so different from the classroom. In the class-room you just see and hear the words. As you make measure-ments in the laboratory, the words take on a physical meaning.”

Farley had nothing but praise for his faculty mentor, Dr. Cox.“While he is always willing to help, he also provides me withplenty of room to work independently,” Farley said.

While only in his junior year, Farley is an experienced veter-an at presenting his research findings. He has presented talksor posters at meetings of the American Chemical Society, Sigma

Xi, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, andthe Kentucky Academy of Science.

Farley also presented his HHMI project findings at Posters-at-the-Capitol, a new event in Kentucky supported by MurrayState’s Howard Hughes grant to help state legislators under-stand the educational importance of undergraduate research.Dr. Cox and Adam are also in the process of writing up theirresearch findings for publication.

Like many students from the western Kentucky region, Farleyis a first generation college student. Coming out of high school,he had little understanding of what a career in scienceentailed. “That’s all changed now because of my researchexperience,” Farley said. “I now have a pretty good idea whata career in science would be like. I also now realize that I wantand need to go to graduate school.”

Albert Einstein once said, “The whole of science is nothingmore than a refinement of everyday thinking.” Adam Farley isrefining those thoughts that began many years ago with thatfirst chemistry set.

acquired, disease that can lead to urinary tract infections, sep-ticemia and endocarditis. Understanding the transmission ofantibiotic resistance among Enterococcus faecalis is an essentialstep in dealing with this problem.

“Brian is one of the hardest working students I know,“ Stuartsaid. “His strong suit is his willingness to pitch in and just getthe job done,” Stuart continued. “I can always count on him todo what he says he is going to do.”

Greenwell said he thinks his work on the Howard Hughes proj-ect will give him an edge over others in his field of molecularbiology when he looks for a graduate school. “I feel that expe-rience is everything. I have learned an enormous amount fromthis project.”

When asked about where he wanted to go to graduate school,Greenwell said, “I really haven’t decided yet. After all, I’ve justfinished my sophomore year.”

Ann Harper’s life has always involved helping others.Growing up in Russellville, Kentucky, Harper cared for hergrandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. She soonfound herself doing volunteer work at a local nursing home.Today, Ann is an emergency medical technician and a rescuediver. It came as no surprise to Harper’s family when she saidshe wanted to go to Murray State University to pursue a careerin medicine.

At Murray State, Harper, then a sophomore majoringin biology and minoring in chemistry, met Dr. David

Canning, a developmental biologist involved instem cell research. An interesting application

of Canning’s work, and one that immediate-ly attracted Harper, was the potential

impact of this research on Alzheimer’spatients.

Harper’s Howard Hughes experi-ment, “An Investigation of theExpression of Specific GenesUnique to β-Induced ReactiveAstrocyctes,” uses the brain cellsof rats to identify genes unique to

reactive astrocytes. Astrocytes are star-shaped brain cells thatsupport the work of neurons by regulating their environment.Identification of genes unique to reactive astrocytes will pro-vide powerful tools to further explore the creation of neurongrowth inhibiting environments in brain trauma andAlzheimer’s disease.

“Harper’s HHMI project is being fundedby the National Institutes of Health,”Canning explained. “Murray State’s pri-mary role in this NIH project is to inves-tigate cellular mechanisms responsiblefor creating scars at lesion sites in thecentral nervous system that inhibit theregeneration of neurons,” Canning said.

Harper’s response was more person-al. “In the past I helped treat symptomsof advanced cases,” Harper said. “I havedirectly seen how Alzheimer’s affectsfamilies, so helping to find a way to elimi-nate the disease would be such a personaland overwhelming achievement,” Harperwent on to say. While her work in the labora-

Helping Others

tory and her classes consume much of her time, Harper indi-cated that her life at Murray State is not all work. Harper isthe Vice President of Gamma Beta Phi, a national honor andservice organization, and President of the Outback club, acampus outdoor and wildlife society.

While graduation is more than a year and a half away,Harper is looking to the future. Harper plans to attend theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte, enter a graduateprogram in Molecular Cell Developmental Biology, and con-

tinue research. Being involved in the HHMI programshowed her that becoming involved in research is anothergreat way to help people.

"IT’S MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, NOT ROCKET SCIENCE"Victoria Petrie’s life had been defined by learning what she

did not want to do -- until the HHMI program helped her findsomething she really does want to do – become a geneticcounselor and researcher to help those with genetically relat-ed illnesses.

"I grew up in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, in the Lake Malonearea," Petrie said. "My mother was a teacher at my school and Ithink everyone expected me to be a teacher too, but I knew thatwasn’t what I wanted to do." Petrie also took ballet classes as achild, but she said she knew she did not want to be a ballerinaeither. "I didn’t think I had the grace and stamina for that,"Petrie said.

Petrie does have grace and stamina in the laboratory, however,and she exhibits those qualities daily in her work on gene thera-py at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis,Tennessee. Petrie is a member of a research team using globingene therapy to find a way to facilitate healthy hemoglobingrowth in children with sickle cell anemia. This genetic blood dis-order can lead to frequent and severe infections, damage tomajor organs, and episodes of acute intense pain.

"People associate St. Jude with cancer only," Petrie said, "butthe mission of St. Jude is to ‘Cure catastrophic illnesses in chil-dren using research and treatment.’" That vision was one of thereasons Petrie became involved with the HHMI program.

"I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my undergradu-ate degree in biology," Petrie admitted. Petrie’s Howard Hughesexperience changed all that. "I have always wanted to make a dif-ference in peoples’ lives," Petrie said. "My work at St. Judeshowed me how I could do that."

Two weeks after her official notification of acceptance into theprogram, Petrie met her mentor, Dr. Derek Persons, AssociateMember of Experimental Hematology at St. Jude.

Petrie said Persons has been instrumental in her success at St.Jude. "He is so good at going back and reviewing what we haddone," she said. "He really wanted to make certain I understoodeverything I did." In her meetings with him, Petrie said Personswould ask her why she had done something a certain way."Occasionally I would try to get away with saying ‘because theytold me to.’" "Dr. Persons never accepted that answer," Petrie saidwith a smile.

Persons said that Vicky worked diligently during her summer atSt. Jude mastering molecular cloning—an important part ofgamma globin gene therapy. "Vicky has helped in our progresstoward our ultimate goal of helping patients," Persons said.

One of Petrie’s favorite sayings actually came from anotherphysician on their research team, Dr. Abbot. Petrie said in teach-ing her to keep it simple, Abbot told her, "It’s molecular biology,not rocket science."

Petrie said the HHMI project gave her a definite career path. "Iknow that I want to be involved in genetic counseling—in theresearch end of it," Petrie said. Genetic counselors help peopleunderstand the consequences of being carriers of certain genesand the specific illnesses that result.

Murray State’s Howard Hughes award opened doors for Petriethat she said she could not have opened on her own. "How wouldI have gotten my foot in the door?" Petrie asked. "Only real sci-entists work at St. Jude."

Petrie is one of those real scientists now and wants to stay apart of the vision of St. Jude hospital. That vision is summed upin a statement by Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude -- "Nochild should die in the dawn of life."

It may not be rocket science to some people, but finding a cureto a devastating childhood disease could lead to a Nobel Prize.Petrie thinks that winning one of those might be nice too.

“I have directly seen how Alzheimer’s affects families, sohelping to find a way to eliminate the disease would besuch a personal and overwhelming achievement. ”

Murray State University and theHoward Hughes Medical Instituteare developing tomorrow’s lead-ers in the biomedical scienceswhile changing the face of science education.

Dr. James Stuart

Brian Greenwell

Dr. Waleed GaberSt.Jude

Dr. J. Ricky Cox

Adam Farley

Dr. David Canning

Ann Harper

Dr. Edmund Zimmerer

Dr. Jin Liu

Adam Lowry

Dr. Leon Duobinis-Gray

We invite you to meet our HowardHughes Medical Institute undergraduate research mentors.

Dr. Mark Masthay

Dr. Edward McFarlandJohns Hopkins University

Aaron Compton

Dr. Sterling Wright

Adrian Yeiser

Dr. Robert Volp

Dr. Derek PersonsSt. Jude

Victoria Petrie

Dr. Terry Derting

Stephen Compton

Dr. Timothy Johnston

Adam Lowry, of Centralia, Illinois, is fast becoming a well-educated man. Now in his first year at The Emory School ofMedicine in Atlanta, Lowry recently graduated with a biolo-gy degree from Murray State University.

Lowry’s last days at Murray State were among his mostrewarding. During that time, he had the opportunity tospend an entire summer studying genetic mutations on themolecular level as an Undergraduate Research Scholar in theHoward Hughes Medical Institute program.

“I learned a great deal about the field of medical genet-ics and the skills necessary to contribute to that field,”Lowry said. “I also learned a lot about Murphy’s Laws,” hewent on to say. “I could definitely have lived without that.”

Lowry’s HHMI project, “Gene Mutations Responsible forMetabolic VLCAD Deficiency,” studied the enzyme Very-LongChain Acyl CoA Dehydrogenase, or VLCAD. VLCAD is a meta-bolic enzyme that helps break down fats for energy produc-tion during periods of fasting, such as sleep or betweenmeals. A VLCAD deficiency may lead to dangerously lowblood sugar levels, which are a result of the body’s inabilityto use efficiently the fat it has stored. VLCAD deficiency isespecially dangerous for infants and newborns.

Medical science currently has no standard test for VLCADdeficiency. Lowry’s research, headed by his mentor, Dr. John

A. Phillips, Director of the Division of Medical PediatricGenetics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, sought todetermine the exact mutations in the VLCAD gene, layingthe groundwork for an applicable, inexpensive test.

The summer began well for Lowry, as he and other mem-bers of the research team performed various tests on DNAsamples from known VLCAD-deficient patients for compari-son to normal DNA.

Problems arose after a few weeks when tests started toshow results everyone knew to be incorrect. The last fewweeks of Lowry’s research were spent trying to discover theculprit that was causing the problem. At Emory, he receivedword from the Vanderbilt team that the culprit was a dete-riorating product ordered from an outside lab.

Lowry believes the problem occurred as a result of a newtechnique being used on his project. But, according toLowry, he learned that solving such challenges are simply apart of what research scientists do on a daily basis.

Lowry appreciated Phillips’ guidance. When not with hispatients, Phillips was always available to answer questions.At weekly meetings, the research team would discuss proj-ect goals and progress. After objectives were set, it was upto Lowry and the rest of the team to implement them.

Lowry discovered much about medical research—including

While Lee Webb sat on the steps of the old Pogue Library ona pleasant October evening, he reminisced about his opportuni-ty with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute undergraduateresearch program. For Webb, HHMI was an experience, ratherthan just a research project.

Webb remarked that his “approach to science has changed”due to “the new experience of using different methodologies,coming up with unexpected results, and asking new questionsbased on correlating my findings with others’ findings. It is avery dynamic process.”

Webb’s project focused on the response of female mice toodor signals released by males. He investigated whether theattractiveness of male odors to females relates to the geneticquality of males. First, Webb determined the preferences offemale mice for odors in the soiled bedding of male mice. Somefemale mice were then paired with males whose odors theypreferred; others were paired with males whose odors thefemales did not prefer. Webb then assessed several physiologi-cal characteristics of the males and the sons produced by thepairs of mice.

Webb’s research showed that females benefit from matingwith males with preferred odors, through increased numbers of

LAWS OF MEDICINE, LAWS OF MURPHY

UNEXPECTED RESULTS, NEW QUESTIONS

“My Howard Hughes experience will help me as a doctor evaluate, understand and appreciate medical research in a way I could not have in the past.”

that research very rarely goes as planned. He also says, “Ilearned an equally important side-lesson: a genetics labora-tory is a prime location to demonstrate Murphy’s Law.”

“As for the immediate future, I hope to receive my med-ical degree from Emory and return to the St. Louis area topractice,” Lowry said. “While medical research is not in myfuture right now, my Howard Hughes experience will helpme as a doctor evaluate, understand and appreciate med-ical research in a way I could not have in the past.”

offspring conceived and increased sizes of reproductive anddigestive organs in the offspring.

Webb remarked that his hands-on experience was better thanwork in a classroom because it allowed him to study sciencedirectly. The research project “made me more self-reliant.”

Webb said his mentor, Dr. Terry Derting, a physiological ecolo-gist at Murray State University, furthered the independentaspect of the project. Derting encouraged him to decipher hisdata for himself.

“Lee is hardworking, has a good sense of humor, and is willingto help out in any way that he can,” said Derting as she leanedback in her chair. “Lee’s research is only the third scientificstudy that I know of to demonstrate that the genetic quality ofpotential male mates can be communicated through odor cues,”she said. “Recent research has demonstrated that even thehuman brain responds to a pheromone or odor cue,” she added.Thus, Lee’s research is an important step toward understandingthe potential consequences of preferences for certain odors.

Webb found his experience fun and challenging, and HHMI“made it all possible,” he said. The research experience gavehim a whole new experience with biology. He is hoping thathis expertise will reach a new level, because he has the

chance to do more research through the HHMI program in theupcoming summers.

After Webb completes his undergraduate studies he plans tofurther his education by studying Physical Therapy in profession-al school. “I would like to do physical therapy research,” he said.

In the meantime, Webb has presented his research to theBiology Freshman Orientation class at Murray State University,the Kentucky/Tennessee Academy of Science meeting and atPosters-at-the-Capitol, a poster session at Kentucky’s state capi-tol intended to help those who fund higher education understandthe importance of research to undergraduate education.

Webb’s HHMI experience will never be forgotten because itgave him more insight into science and research. “I did notknow what it was like. Now, I have a real respect for the peo-ple who do it.”

As a high school student in Owensboro,Kentucky, Adrian Yeiser began to develop aninterest in medicine. Three years of college,four medical internships, and a HowardHughes project later, Yeiser is now certainthat he wants a career in the medical field.

Today, he will even tell you that he is seri-ously considering a career in medical researchafter becoming a doctor, a career path thatwas not in the picture before his HowardHughes project.

In an animal physiology class, Yeiser metDr. Sterling Wright, a neurophysiologist atMurray State, and liked how Wrightapproached teaching the course. When theHoward Hughes internships were announcedand Yeiser saw an opening in Wright’s lab, heapplied for the position. From the start,Yeiser’s drive and interest in medicine, asevidenced by his four medical internships,was clear.

The projects in Wright’s laboratory involvestudying the pharmacology and biophysics of

voltage-gated sodium channels cloned frommuscle tissue. Sodium channels are responsi-ble for the electrical activity in muscle cellsthat precedes muscular contraction. Yeiser’sHHMI project, entitled “Using AminoglycosideAntibiotics to Explore the Pore FormingRegion of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels,” isan investigation that focuses on understand-ing the block of sodium channel currents by acommon class of antibiotic drugs.

Yeiser has examined sodium channel sensi-tivity to a wide range of the aminoglycosideantibiotics to determine how drug size andnet charge affect block of the channels. Hisresearch could ultimately provide clues aboutthe architecture of the pore-forming region ofthe channel.

Yeiser presented his findings at the jointmeeting of the Kentucky and TennesseeAcademies of Science conference. Hebelieves his HHMI research project gave himthe opportunity to discover much about basicresearch—and about himself.

“Bright lights, big city.” This is how Aaron Compton ofSomerset, Kentucky, summarized his first impression ofBaltimore. Compton, who had just completed his junioryear at Murray State University, was on his way to studyat one of the most prestigious university hospitals in thenation, Johns Hopkins University.

While many areas in the field of medicine interestCompton, orthopaedic surgery has always been one of thehighest on his list. “When I first began looking into MurrayState’s new Howard Hughes program, I never expected tofind an opportunity in orthopaedic surgery, let alone at aplace like Johns Hopkins,” Compton said. “How manyundergraduates can say they have studied and worked ata world-class facility like Johns Hopkins?”

Compton spent the summer working with Dr. EdwardMcFarland, an alumnus of Murray State University andDirector of Sports Medicine and Shoulder Surgery at JohnsHopkins University. “For someone with an interest inorthopaedics, my project couldn’t have been more inter-

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY

“When I first began looking into Murray State’s newHoward Hughes program, I never expected to findan opportunity in orthopaedic surgery, let alone at aplace like Johns Hopkins. How many undergraduatescan say they have studied and worked at a world-class facility like Johns Hopkins?”

FINDING A CAREER

“The HHMI project allowed me to stay at MurrayState over the summer, get to know my mentor,learn important lab techniques, and gain a per-spective on the medical field I never really had.”

esting,” Compton said. Compton’s work involved an in-depth analysis and review of a patient of Dr. McFarland’swho had sustained an injury to his rotator cuff. “Whenan athlete, in this case a jockey, sustains an injury to therotator cuff,” Compton went on to say, “there is usuallydamage to the tendons near or at the tendon insertion tothe proximal humerus. In addition, an injury to the rota-tor cuff muscles in these circumstances is often suspect-ed, but generally unproven. Our case was particularlyinteresting as it involved an isolated strain injury tothe superspinatus and infraspinatus muscles with-out involvement of their respective tendons. Aninjury to the muscle and not to the tendonthrough such a mechanism is very unusual.”Compton spent many hours comparing themagnetic resonance images (MRI) of Dr.McFarland’s patient to the MRI scans of otherpatients with related injuries. All the timepaid off, however, as Compton and McFarland,along with others who collaborated on this study,submitted a case report on this injury for publication.

“I didn’t spend all my time staring at MRI scans,”Compton said smiling. Many hours were spent withMcFarland in the clinic and in the operating room.Compton went on to explain the daily stress and joy ofaccomplishment a physician experiences. By shadowingMcFarland and watching how he dealt with his colleagues,Compton learned how to interact with other professionals.

He spoke of how McFarland guided him through hissummer experience. His mentor assigned Compton mate-rial to read weekly. This helped Compton understandwhat was going on in the clinic and operating room eachday. McFarland “challenged me to stay on my toes,” saidCompton. “McFarland also allowed me to attend numer-

ous journal club and grand round sessions with otherphysicians,” said Compton.

In addition, his summer at Johns Hopkins gaveCompton the opportunity to interact with medicalstudents. Compton said that the medical studentswere very happy to answer his questions and even

offered tips on interviewing and applying to med-ical schools.Compton’s mentor also helped him get acquainted

with the big city. Upon his arrival Compton said he wasa little uneasy about living in a large city, but after hisexperience he definitely feels more comfortable.

His experience in Baltimore was a challenge, butCompton likes a challenge—that’s why he chose to studyscience. “After spending a summer at Johns Hopkins, Ilook forward to facing the challenges and satisfaction inmodern medicine,” said Compton. “My experience atHopkins more than reassured me that I want to pursue acareer in medicine,” Compton said.

Yeiser’s attention to detail and patienceimpressed Wright. “These are relativelytedious and difficult experiments to per-form,” Wright said. “Adrian did not give upand worked until he mastered the requiredtechniques,” Wright went on to say.

In his Hughes application, Yeiser stated, “Iassure you, you will not find a more dedicat-ed and hard-working applicant.” Havingworked with Yeiser for almost a year now,Wright readily agrees.

The educational experience Yeiser receivedas a research student greatly supplementedthe course work in his degree program. “Youlearn more in a research lab than you learn inan ordinary classroom,” he said. “The HHMIproject allowed me to stay at Murray Stateover the summer, get to know my mentor,learn important lab techniques, and gain aperspective on the medical field I never real-ly had,” Yeiser said.

Stephen Compton, a Murray State University sophomorefrom Murray, Kentucky, cannot recall a time when he wasnot interested in science. He is fascinated with sciencebecause it “explains why things are the way they are.”

Compton met Dr. Terry Derting, an ecophysiologist on thebiology faculty at MSU, at a meeting with graduates fromhis alma mater, Murray High School. He soon accepted herinvitation to help with on-going research in her laboratory.Before long, he was learning to obtain blood samplesthrough heart puncture and isolating DNA for PCR analyses.

When the opportunity to participate in further researchthrough the HHMI research program arose, Compton jumpedat the opportunity.

His research, “Determining the Immune System’s Role ina Mammalian Energy Budget,” involved using house mice todetermine how much energy it takes to maintain theimmune system and to mount an immune response.

Whether the immune system is a costly component of ananimal’s energy budget is a controversial question.Compton wondered about questions like “If a person has avirus, does the immune system take away energy normallyused by other systems of the body?”

A CONFIDENCE BUILDING EXPERIENCE

“It was a whole new world,”explained Thalya Burden as she spoke ofher summer experience at St. JudeChildren’s Hospital.

The summer after her junior year,Burden, an applied math major andRegents Scholar from Paducah,Kentucky, worked on the kind ofresearch project few undergraduatesever see.

Under the guidance of Dr. WaleedGaber, a nuclear physicist and primaryresearch investigator in the Departmentof Radiation Oncology at St. Jude, sheinvestigated the side effects of radia-tion therapy on lab rats. After a glassplate was surgically implanted in thecranium of rats, Burden directlyobserved leukocyte activity and perme-ability of the blood brain barrier. Gaberand Burden particularly focused on theeffect of radiation therapy on whiteblood cells in the brain.

This was not Burden’s first researchexperience. Through her sophomoreand junior years, Burden worked withDr. Renee Fister, a Murray State

University mathematics professor, on anoptimal control problem applied toimmunotherapy.

“While I certainly enjoyed the MSUproject,” Burden explained, “it was avery different kind of problem.” TheSt. Jude project required that Burdenintegrate computers and advancedtechnology.

At St. Jude, Burden was introduced tostate-of-the-art medical imaging tech-nology. This experience gave Burden theopportunity to see research applied to areal life situation. “If we can determinewhat causes the side effects of radia-tion, then we can find ways to preventthose effects,” Burden said.

Burden especially appreciated work-ing with her mentor. “Dr. Gaber treatedme like a colleague, not like a student.We spent many hours a week discussingthe problems we encountered duringour research,” said Burden. Sheexplained that Gaber listened to herideas and gave her the freedom andencouragement to pursue them.

“At St. Jude, we were not always in

the lab,” Burden explained; “We alsoattended three to four seminars everyweek on a variety of medical topics.” Inseveral instances, Burden found theseminars directly applicable to her ownresearch project.

Prior to her St. Jude experience,Burden had considered a future only inmathematics. Today, Burden is seriouslyconsidering pursuing a doctorate in bio-medical engineering, a career choiceshe had not considered before her HHMIappointment.

Benjamin Franklin once said,“Knowledge is of two kinds: we know asubject ourselves, or we know where wecan find information upon it.” ThalyaBurden sought out new information anddiscovered a whole new world.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

If Compton’s research showed that maintainingimmunocompetence is a high-priority process, thenequations traditionally used to describe energy budgetsof animals can be modified to include the cost ofimmunocompetence.

To address his questions, Compton determined the energycost of maintaining immunocompetence by comparing con-trol mice with mice whose immune system had been sup-pressed. In a second experiment, he injected mice withsheep red blood cells and phytohemagglutinen to stimulateimmune responses, then measured the energetic conse-quences of those responses.

Derting provided the idea for Compton’s experiment, butCompton developed his own methods for testing hishypotheses. He learned how to perform a variety of tech-niques and measurements, including using an open-systemrespirometer, collecting blood samples, conducting whiteblood cell counts, giving various types of injections, and per-forming dissections.

Derting remarked that “Stephen recognizes that all activ-ities can be valuable learning experiences, whether in hisdirect area of interest or not. He enjoys research in the lab-

oratory as well as helping with long hours of field work—even when up to his knees in mud!”

Compton enjoyed working with Derting and appreciatedthe confidence she showed in him. He gained self-esteemduring the project by learning that he was capable of a lotmore than he had thought. “Stephen’s awareness of himselfand his abilities has grown tremendously as a result of hisresearch activities,” Derting said.

Compton believes that being involved in research has put himin a better position than students who have relied solely on class-room instruction. “Using the summer for research will benefitme as I attempt to get into the medical field,” Compton said.

Compton has presented his research at theKentucky/Tennessee Academy of Science meeting, and isalready working on writing an article for submission to a pro-fessional scientific journal.

Compton is particuarly excited about the upcoming sum-mer. His second assignment with the Howard Hughes pro-gram will be at Johns Hopkins University. “Who could haveimagined that someone from Murray, Kentucky, would bespending a summer at one of the world’s most highly regard-ed medical research universities,” Compton said.

u r s a @ m u r r a y s t a t e . e d u