For a recent graduate from the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, the chance to spend a summer in the labs of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has been a real eye-opener.
“I am surprised about how much respect the researchers at OMRF give me,” said Geraint Harris, a Burns Flat teenager who will attend the University of Oklahoma this fall. “I am treated almost as an equal. They are willing to hear my opinion about certain matters, and I believe they listen with genuine interest and care.”
Harris is one of 17 Oklahoma students selected to participate in OMRF’s Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar program. The program, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, gives students the chance to complete individual research projects, write scientific papers for publication and present their work in formal seminars.
The students arrived at OMRF at the beginning of June and are spending eight weeks at OMRF conducting medical research.
“The Fleming program has shown me what medical research is really like,” Harris said. “Now I know what to expect if I go into the medical field. I believe the Fleming program encouraged me even more to pursue a research-oriented career.”
Harris’ summer project includes studying the protein expression in lymphatic vessels – specifically proteins relevant to blood clotting.
The Fleming Scholars program has served as a model for similar programs nationwide since its creation in 1956. More than 400 students have been trained through the program at OMRF. Two of OMRF’s faculty members, Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., and Rodger McEver, M.D., got their start as Fleming Scholars.
“Many students leave knowing that research is an area they had not truly considered, but they have been enticed by the exploration bug,” said Ginger Coleman, a Newkirk teacher who has helped coordinate the program for a decade. “I want them to have made contacts and bonds with people that they will be sharing their professional careers and possibly know for a lifetime. Although I teach during the school year, this is a completely different experience and intertwines education, business and people skills – all activities dear to my heart.”
About OMRF:
Celebrating its 60th birthday in 2006, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. It is home to Oklahoma’s only member of the National Academy of Sciences
