They dealt with such things as anti-phospholipid syndrome and crystallization of antibody fragments, but nearly blew up a microwave and soaked an apartment floor with excess soap from the dishwasher.
Over all, it was a great summer.
So say three Tulsa-area students who spent two months of their summer vacation as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
The highly selective OMRF program was the summer home of Kirtan Nautiyal, an Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics senior from Jenks; Leah Pranger, a Union High School senior from Broken Arrow; and Kevin Lai, a University of Oklahoma sophomore from Jenks.
The three were joined by 13 other students from across Oklahoma, who conducted bio-medical research as partners of the scientific faculty at OMRF.
“The whole experience was wonderful,” said Pranger, whose project focused on ways information is transferred through the nervous system of microscopic worms. “We worked really hard and were stretched intellectually. Living with other students with similar interests and getting to talk about science stuff all the time was great, and working in the lab was a terrific experience.”
Nautiyal, who is planning a career in medicine or medical research, applied for the Fleming program because he “wanted to see what scientific research was all about.” He studied the blood streams of patients afflicted with anti-phospholipid syndrome with OMRF’s Dr. Joan Merrill.
“There are not very many opportunities like this in high school,” Nautiyal said. “I was given a project with a time deadline and a lot of freedom to work in the laboratory on my own. I could go ask for help when I needed it, but my mentor gave me the opportunity to really do medical research myself.”
Lai’s love of science started in the third or fourth grade when his parents brought home high school biology and chemistry textbooks for him. His current plan is to be a medical doctor.
“I’ve always loved science, and we had some awesome science teachers at Jenks,” said Lai, who scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT test. “I was looking for some different sorts of researching and interning opportunities this summer when my parents told me about the OMRF program. After I looked into it, I realized that I would get good hands-on experience doing research with a mentor, which I had never done before.”
Lai worked with OMRF’s Dr. Allen Edmundson to crystallize antibody fragments and purify proteins.
“I feel like I learned a lot about how scientific research works, and how scientists from different departments work together to solve problems,” Lai said. “For a whole lot of what is observed in science, we still have only theories about how things occur. It was really neat to see scientists genuinely excited about what they are doing.”
Each year, OMRF receives an average of 150 applications for the 46-year-old Fleming Scholar program from eligible students in their junior years in high school through their junior years in college. Typically, only 10-15 are chosen to participate in the program based on their academic and extracurricular resumes.
“This year’s class was truly exemplary,” said Dr. J. Donald Capra, OMRF president. “The mentoring scientists were very impressed by the intelligence, attitude and ability of the scholars. The students were presented with a terrific opportunity to work with world-class scientists, and hopefully were convinced that keeping their talents in Oklahoma is a wise decision.”
Pranger, who would like to complete an M.D./Ph.D. program following her undergraduate education, said that one of the highlights of the summer was a weekly Tuesday luncheon seminar.
“We heard from several OMRF scientists in many different fields, and it was great to get exposure to what was going on in those labs,” said Pranger, whose mentor was OMRF’s Dr. Ken Miller. “We learned a lot about scientific method, and how a variety of experiments were done to address a number of human diseases.”
All three scholars agreed that, although their lab work was demanding and occupied the lion’s share of their time, other activities during the summer were also very rewarding.
Pranger, Lai and Tracy Washington of Lawton, all alumni of the Oklahoma High School All-State Orchestra, joined forces with a fourth scholar, Rohit Sharda of Stillwater, to form a string quartet. The impromptu group performed three pieces, including one arranged by Lai, at the summer-ending banquet.
The scholars’ summer, though, wasn’t entirely characterized by scientific or artistic pursuit. A couple of experiences in Oklahoma City University apartment living added to their memories.
“We discovered that we didn’t have dishwasher soap, and so right before we left the apartment one morning we substituted liquid hand soap,” Pranger recalls, laughing. “We came back and the kitchen was flooded with soap suds. It continued to overflow no matter what we put in it the rest of the summer.”
Budding scientist Lai’s nemesis was the microwave.
“We were getting ready for string quartet practice and a couple of us were hungry,” he said. “We decided to warm up some French bread that was apparently wrapped in foil paper. A giant fireball erupted in the microwave and we all thought we were going to die. After the initial panic, we all got a good laugh out of it.”
It’s a good bet that the scholars will keep in touch with each other for years to come.
“We became good friends,” Lai said. “It was great to spend time with people who have similar interests. We got to do laser tag, cosmic bowling, karaoke and science. Pretty great.”
Further information on the Fleming Scholars Program is available by contacting the program coordinator, Shari Hawkins, at (405) 271-8537, or visiting the OMRF website, www.omrf.org.
