Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Two students from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville spent their 2008 summers learning and working at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., as part of a summer internship program that is required for all students pursing a criminalistic emphasis in chemistry.

In order to do this, both students had to make the grade for the College Qualified Leaders program, a prestigious year-round outreach for aspiring scientists.

This particular summer, however, UWP interns expanded their roles by becoming teachers themselves and working with area high school students interested in science.

UWP senior Cayla Lillge, who is pursing multiple majors in biology, biochemistry and criminalistics, and Tricia Mason, a chemistry criminalistics major, were introduced to Walter Reed by Chanaka Mendis, a professor in the UWP biochemistry and engineering physics department.

"Dr. Mendis worked at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research while he was in graduate school," Mason said, "and since working at UWP, he has sent at least one student a summer to work there."

Both students worked as researchers in the Walter Reed molecular pathology lab, practicing a wide array of techniques on the building blocks of life, DNA, and its chemical counterpart, RNA. This was the first time that DNA analysis was a research focus for UWP students during their internships.

"My primary duty as an intern in the molecular pathology lab was to expose myself to as many scientific techniques as the lab had to offer," Lillge said, "the projects I was assigned to work on dealt with the genomic effects certain pathogens had on cellular components."

The work that Mason and Lillge did was so well received by researchers that the institute will give the two Pioneers travel funds to present their findings at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting.

The ASBMB meeting is one of the primer conferences in the field and an opportunity for young scientists to meet established researchers face-to-face. "Not only can they present their research," Mendis said, "but they can meet and interact with all sorts of people in their area of science." The conference will take place April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.

In addition to their research duties, the two UWP interns volunteered their time to teach high school students in the Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science program, a Walter Reed outreach. The program gives high school students the chance to work for eight hours a day in the Walter Reed laboratories for anywhere from one to four weeks.

"During this time, college students teach the high school students about various types of science through hands-on laboratory experiments," Lillge said. "I had the opportunity to work alongside three other college students in instructing GEMS class. This was probably one of the most rewarding experiences during my time at Walter Reed, not only because, through teaching others, I was able to expand my own knowledge, but because the students that I worked with were bright, talented and amazing young adults."

Lillge and Mason taught basic science to young people for the entire four weeks.

"The group of students we taught ranged from some who had a very thorough knowledge of science to some who, for example, had never been taught what DNA was," Mason said. "I really think that getting to teach students who are interested in science was a great experience and helped me learn more about my field along with gaining a greater appreciation for it myself."

Mendis hopes that Mason and Lillge's success at Walter Reed will have a positive effect on the future of the UWP chemistry and biomedical departments. "If our students' success continues," Mendis said, "we can create a relationship between UWP and Walter Reed that will not only benefit our program but also our students. This will lead to future summer internships for our students."

Lillge hails from Appleton and Mason is from Mt. Prospect, Il.

Anyone who would like more information should contact Mendis at (608) 342-1692 or mendisc@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Chanaka Mendis, department of chemistry and engineering physics, (608) 342-1692, mendisc@uwplatt.edu Written by: Russ Brickey, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, brickeyr@uwplatt.edu