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Marquis Scholar Charles Lemken ’06 (Emerson, N.J.) conducted research this summer to determine whether certain immune cells would be affected by a protein that may help fight cancer. He will coauthor an article with his faculty mentor, a leader in cancer research, and present the results of his work at a scientific conference next spring.
Lemken tested how the protein RANTES would effect T cells, a group of immune cells that search for substances that do not belong in the body. The research lasted 10 weeks.
A biology major, Lemken worked alongside Robert Kurt, assistant professor of biology, as an EXCEL Scholar.
In Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholar program, students collaborate with faculty on research while earning a stipend. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the 180 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
Lemken’s tasks included growing T cells, isolating their RNA, and determining their gene expression.
“Charles used a gene array to screen how RANTES changes the expression of 100 different genes in T cells in the hope of beginning to decipher how RANTES exerts diverse activities,” Kurt explains.
Lemken discovered that no project goes without a lesson learned. Many of the T cells were unable to survive in the beginning stages of the project, which made it difficult to continue. Kurt said Lemken realized that to make the project successful, he needed to grow more T cells.
“I learned how to use failures as well as successes,” the student says.
“In many institutions, upcoming sophomores don’t get research opportunities,” Lemken says, adding that the EXCEL Scholars program is unique because underclassmen are given the chance to do research that upperclassmen would normally do at other colleges or universities.
Lemken’s experiences do not stop there, however. He will co-author an article with Kurt for submission to a scientific journal and will present his work to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science next spring.
“I firmly believe that the [learning] environment available to students at Lafayette is superior to the [learning] environment available at large research institutions,” Kurt says.
“[The EXCEL Scholar program] is undoubtedly useful for my future plans,” says Lemken, adding that Professor Kurt’s expertise helped him succeed in completing the project. “His guidance was invaluable.”
Lemken plans to continue researching T cells and hopes to work with Kurt again on other projects.
A graduate of Emerson High School, Lemken is involved in Physics Club and its computer user group. He plans to pursue a doctorate in biology and eventually become a research scientist.