On Friday, two Tulsa-area students finished eight weeks as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars 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.
Jenks High School graduate Krishna Manohar, a senior microbiology and psychology major at the University of Oklahoma, has worked this summer with Robert Axtell, Ph.D., in OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program. She has studied interferon-beta, a common therapy for individuals with multiple sclerosis, to determine why a significant portion of the population fails to benefit from the treatment.
While she enjoyed the summer, it also brought about challenges. “As a researcher, you are quite often breaking new ground and don’t know entirely what your end goal or results may be,” said Manohar. “It can be a frustrating experience until you realize that every bit of data, good or bad, can be a clue for something new, and that some of the best discoveries were made because of accidents.”
University of Tulsa senior Jillian Schlecht’s project has focused on the effects of a protein called mps1 in yeast cells with abnormal chromosome numbers. Cancer cells in humans have both elevated levels of mps1 and irregular chromosome numbers, said Schlecht, which makes the yeast a great model to use for studying this specific aspect of cancer. Her mentor for the summer was Dean Dawson, Ph.D., in OMRF’s Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology Research Program.
“This summer has definitely changed my perspective on where I see my career going,” said Schlecht, who intends to become a fertility specialist. “I have absolutely fallen in love with research and am considering changing my degree plan from an M.D. alone to an M.D./Ph.D. degree.”
For Manohar, the experience has provided her with a better understanding of biomedical research. “Research is such an integral part of the vastly changing world of medicine,” said Manohar. “The tools and skills that I have gained as a researcher will be vital to who I become as a future doctor—one who understands, appreciates, and encourages the research behind every treatment and cure.”
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.
