A D V A N C I N G W O M E N I N S C I E N C E , T E C H N O L O G Y, A N D R E S E A R C H
MILLS STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM RESEARCH EXPERIENCES
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ills science majors undertake fascinating summer or academic-year research projects, present their work at student conferences, and find summer internships at world-class laboratories. These experiences are excellent preparation for graduate school and professional work and allow students to pursue their passion for science and contribute to what is known about our world. Here, one recent Mills graduate and one continuing Mills student describe their undergraduate research work.
Araina Hansen, ’05 Major: Chemistry; Minor: Computer Science Summer 2004 Research Project: Computer Simulation of Checkpoint-1 Inhibition Future Plans: Doctoral studies in Chemistry at UC Berkeley
PEG SKORPINSKI
Araina’s research, begun during the summer of 2004 at UC Santa Cruz with funding from the National Science Foundation, used computer simulation to create structures of molecules that interact with the protein kinase checkpoint-1. This protein detects DNA damage and halts cell division. By inhibiting kinase, chemotherapy and other cancer therapies can be made more effective. According to Araina, “As a result of my summer work, we found some potential drug candidates for future testing. Using computers to run virtual experiments greatly increases the number of possibilities that can be explored.” Araina won the Bruce McCollum Prize at Mills, awarded to the member of the senior class majoring in science or mathematics with the highest attainment in academic scholarship. She was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa this spring.
Araina Hansen, ’05
Rachel Niec, ’06 Major: Chemistry Research Project: Study of HIV Future Plans: Doctoral studies upon graduation from Mills
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During the past year, under the supervision of Mills Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elisabeth Wade, Rachel wrote a computer simulation program to model alignment following collisions of helium with nitrous oxide. This basic research project was designed to understand how certain types of chemical reactions take place at a fundamental level. She presented her project’s findings at the Western Spectroscopy Association Conference in Asilomar, California. More recently, Rachel worked on building a vacuum chamber (a space where specific mixtures of gaseous molecules can be observed undergoing reactions) to measure the decomposition of agricultural fumigants, which are general biocides. Ultimately this research could lead to a better understanding of what happens when large quantities of these chemical compounds reach the atmosphere. She presented a poster on the design of the system at the American Chemical Society’s Undergraduate Research Conference, which Mills hosted this spring. This summer Rachel will be working as an intern in the Leonidas Stamatatos laboratory at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. This lab studies HIV vaccine development with an emphasis on the glycosylation patterns of viral envelopes. A viral envelope is a coat consisting of numerous proteins that enables HIV to attach to and infect other cells.
Rachel Niec, ’06
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