Biology/chemistry majors hone research skills in Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The biology and chemistry departments, supported by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, initiated a special Undergraduate Research Program for science majors last summer. Students from around the country, as well as Villanova, took part in the 10-week research opportunity. The program was co-directed by Dr. Wilber Baker, chair of the biology department and Dr. Robert Giuliano, former chair of the chemistry department.

The program was open to sophomore and junior college students and some academically exceptional freshmen. It offered them an opportunity to conduct original, scholarly research, working independently on laboratory projects under the guidance of faculty members who served as mentors. Participants received a stipend, research supplies as well as room and board on campus. They attended presentations by prominent scientists and went on field trips to local scientific organizations such as the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and local pharmaceutical companies. During leisure time, they enjoyed social and cultural activities and visited both scientific and cultural attractions in the nearby area as well as in Washington, D.C. The undergraduates also had an opportunity to work with graduate students who shared their experiences. At the end of the program, the students made poster presentations on their research before the departmental faculty, staff and other research students.

Dr. Janice Knepper, associate professor of biology and Dr. Robert Giuliano, professor of chemistry, were among the nine faculty members who participated in instructing and supervising students performing research. The biology department faculty included: Drs. Ronald Balsamo and Norman Dollahon; faculty from the chemistry department included: Drs. Joseph Bausch, Eduard Casillas, Robert Reczkowski, Joseph Rucker and Barry Selinsky.

Knepper mentored three students who worked on three different projects that focused on different questions concerning a virus that causes breast cancer in mice. These included: Rita Reshamwala, of Villanova, and Thamrah R. Wright, of Randolph-Macon Women’s College and Janne Huynh, of Syracuse University. Their projects explored the interactions of viral strains with host cells and how to differentiate between an efficient and less efficient strain of virus; another focused on the insertion site of viral DNA into the host cell genome, a process involving enhanced cell growth that causes tumors; and the third project studied what happens to the mammary cells after lactation ends. The research all related to Dr. Knepper’s ongoing, long-term research exploring breast cancer in mice. Each student worked on different aspects.

"The virus that causes breast cancer in mice is passed in the milk of the mother, so the pups acquire it from her," said Knepper. "A copy of the genome from this family of viruses is able to be transferred into the host cell DNA, which means it can be passed on from generation to generation as part of the genome. This is very cutting-edge research, and none of these three projects have been done before. Neither have these students conducted lab research of this type before. The irony in research is that "re" means you have to do it over and over again to get results, so this approach to science-the ability to direct your own studies -- is very new to them. It is really a very different kind of journey. They learned to read the literature, how to use a lot of high-tech equipment and instrumentation and new protocols that were more difficult and time-consuming than those in standard lab courses. The purpose of the program is to help students decide whether a life in research is something they would enjoy. To the inquisitive mind, it’s very exciting."

Knepper’s students said that their experiences were beneficial in many ways. Said Reshamwala: "I had never worked in a molecular lab, so I learned a lot from the research. I learned the procedures and how you can vary things to get results, and the program was fun."

Wright worked on mammary tumor viruses that eventually cause cancer. "I had never done anything like this, so I gained a lot of experience dealing with extensive raw materials and learning to manage my time and resources. I also worked with graduate students who had more experience and that was helpful."

Dr. Giuliano supervised two students from Villanova: Douglas Scott Micalizzi, and Joan D. Nguyen, who worked on projects related to his long-term research, which involves organic chemistry, specifically the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates.

"This is basic organic chemistry as it applies to carbohydrates, as well as some non-carbohydrates that we work on," said Dr. Giuliano. "Carbohydrates are components of many antibiotics and are involved in many biological process that determine the ways cells communicate. Each student worked on separate projects but each project had some aspect in common."

"It’s been a really positive experience. My research gave me a good glimpse into a possible career path," said Micalizzi. "It made me rethink my career goals and things I’d like to try." Micalizzi so enjoyed his research experience that he has changed his major from biology to chemistry and is now planning a career in chemical research.

"The success of this project resulted from a strong collaboration between the biology and chemistry departments," said Giuliano. "Some projects were interdisciplinary, and we worked well together from the planning stages all the way through to the end event which was the poster presentation. It involved a large commitment of time from the faculty, but the was close interaction between the two departments was beneficial."

At the end of the 10-week program, students summarized their work in poster presentations. "Overall, in addition to having gained some knowledge of a particular system, I think the students gained a lot of technical expertise and experience in performing research in both biology and chemistry," said Dr. Knepper. "So, these students came away with a better understanding of what research is and the ability to carry out some independent research. This program helped them determine whether research is a course that would interest them for a career before they spend valuable time and effort pursuing course and lab work in a doctoral program only to find out that it is not for them."