Student Speak

Summer 2007

Name: Alex Winters
Major: Chemistry, Honors College
Year: Senior
Hometown: Northeast Columbia

Why are you on campus this summer? I'm conducting research in Dr. Caryn Outten's biochemistry lab. I received a Magellan scholarship from the University and a national Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program scholarship to help support me while I'm conducting this research. It's great to have that funding. I usually work full-time in the summers to make money for school, but this summer I can concentrate on my work.

What is your project called? The effects of Glutaredoxin 2 on the Disulfide in Human Superoxide Dismutase-1.

What exactly are you doing? I'm studying a protein that resides in cells in the human body. When mutated, the protein is believed to cause Amyotrophic Lateral Scleoris (ALS), which is commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease. I'm looking at a familial type of the disease, which means that the disease is caused by a genetic defect passed down from parents to offspring. The defect results in mutant forms of one of the body's proteins, and this eventually manifests itself in the form of ALS. It's complicated--there's so much to it--but if we can develop an understanding of the mechanism behind this disease, then we can pass that knowledge on to scientists conducting pharmaceutical research so they can develop drugs to combat the disease. These studies are very important to ALS research.

Describe ALS. It's characterized by weakening of muscles and atrophy that gradually spreads throughout the body, making it difficult to move or speak. Most victims die of respiratory failure within three to five years after diagnosis.

Who are you working with? Graduate student Sam Bessette, a second-year Ph.D. student. She helps guide me through the complicated protocols. If I make a mistake, she is right there to help me. This is my first time being exposed to what I'm doing here. She's been doing it for years and it's great to be learning from her. Dr. Outten's office is next door to the lab, and she walks through the lab several times a day. She likes a lot of updates on our work, and she gives a lot of feedback. That's very helpful for a novice like me.

What will you do after you graduate in December? I'm applying to medical schools. I've planned to do that for a while now, and this research gives me a different insight into the medical world.

What specialty area will you chose? During this summer I am shadowing a pathologist, a cardiologist, and an orthopedic surgeon who work in Columbia to give me a feel for some of the different areas of medicine I could go into. Surgical medicine has always interested me, but I need some exposure to it before I will know if it is right for me. As it stands, I want to work with people on a personal level, and will most likely attempt to go into general practitioning or pediatrics.

6/07