On Friday, McAlester High School graduate Kyle McCauley finished eight weeks as a Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar at OMRF.
OMRF’s Fleming Scholars work side-by-side with senior medical researchers on an in-depth, individual research project. At the end of the summer, the students write scientific papers and present their research results in formal seminars for OMRF’s scientific staff.
McCauley, a senior biology major at the University of Oklahoma, has studied DNA double strand break (DSB) repair, which is vital for cell survival, and mutations associated with the formation of tumors. His mentor was Roberto Pezza, Ph.D., a scientist in OMRF’s Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology Research Program.
After graduation from OU, McCauley plans to pursue an M.D. degree and conduct research centered on chemistry.
“The best part of my summer experience has been using knowledge I have gained in school in a practical setting,” he said. “My summer at OMRF also has made me very excited to get out into the work field.”
Founded in 1956, the Fleming Scholar Program has provided advanced science training to more than 500 Oklahoma high school and college students. Named for Sir Alexander Fleming, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered penicillin and in 1949 dedicated OMRF’s first building, the one-of-a-kind program annually attracts up to 100 applicants. Two current OMRF scientists, Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., and Rodger McEver, M.D., started their research careers as Fleming Scholars.
For more information on the Fleming Scholar Program, visit: www.omrf.org/fleming.
