Stimulus Grant Boosts U Research, Local Students

By Emily Jensen
Photos by Erika Gratz

Susan Marino knew exactly what she was doing when she applied for a stimulus-funded Summer Student Supplement to her current NIH grant. Unlike many who sought after these funds to get undergraduates in their labs for a summer of research, Marino took a different approach: she wanted a mixture of both high school and college students working together.

“I knew they would feed off each other,” says Marino, who received nearly $35,000 from the National Institutes of Health to employ four students for two summers of research.

And that’s exactly what has happened. Under Marino’s mentorship, the group— consisting of two high school students, one undergraduate, and one recent graduate—works with faculty experts in the College of Pharmacy’s Center for Clinical and Cognitive Neuropharmacology to help analyze the effects of drugs on cognition.

Kaz McLamore, a rising junior at Carleton College, searches for a way to objectively determine the complexity of a person’s speech as a measure of how different medications impact cognition. He is working with faculty member Serguei Pakhomov, transcribing subjects’ speech and analyzing that data to quantify pauses, intonations, and noun phrases in the subjects’ utterances.

This summer experience has changed McLamore’s outlook on research. “It makes the study data come to life in a way that a [research] paper just wouldn’t,” he says. Along the way, McLamore has discovered the reality of one day becoming a scientist. “Working with professionals in the field, and given the respect they’ve shown me over the summer, it shows me that I really can do this if I choose to,” says McLamore, who now views a doctoral degree as a viable option.

While McLamore explores linguistics, the other students garb-up in gloves and goggles to develop assays—procedures to measure drug plasma levels—in the lab. Two high school students work closely with Sean Dawson, who recently graduated with a degree in chemistry from St. Olaf College.

Wayzata High senior Weston Birnbaum describes Dawson as a “big brother” figure; he offers guidance and support when needed. And while the two bond over their interests in chemistry, the learning doesn’t stop in the lab. All students gain deeper insights into their research by participating in a journal club where they discuss scientific papers, attending weekly team lunches, and engaging in various clinical research seminars.

For 18-year-old Birnbaum, this summer has opened his eyes to the world of interdisciplinary research; the team consists of pharmacists, cognitive scientists, medicinal chemists, and neuroscientists. Bringing experts from multiple disciplines to work together on one study has taught Birnbaum “you might just have to look at something a different way in order to get to where you want to go.”

Whether it’s learning about interdisciplinary research for the first time, or rediscovering a passion for science, these students have one thing in common: exceptional mentoring.

“Susan’s great,” says McLamore. “The fact that she’s shown faith in students—from post-college grad to high schoolers— is really inspiring. You see all of us feel empowered by what she’s asking us to do.”

Marino, a former high school teacher and director of the Center, is no stranger to educational outreach initiatives; she has nearly 20 years under her belt working with students from all backgrounds. And over the years, she has become driven to make a difference.

“I have a commitment to building the pipeline of future scientists,” says Marino. “Students get excited when they’re doing actual experiments.”