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Challenging undergraduate research opportunities were among the most important factors that led Marquis Scholar Karen Murray’08 (Kingstowne, Va.) to choose Lafayette. She presented a paper at the 38th Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting (MARM) of the American Chemical Society in Hershey, Pa. in June.
Murray, who is pursuing B.S. degrees in neuroscience and biochemistry, collaborated with Bernard Fried, Kreider Professor Emeritus of Biology, and Joseph Sherma, Larkin Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, on a paper entitled “Metabolic profiling of neutral lipids and phospholipids in the feces of BALB/c mice infected with echinostoma caproni (trematoda) as determined by HPTLC.” She received a $250 honorarium, reimbursement of registration fee, and certificate acknowledging her accomplishment.
“Her success in being chosen was extraordinary, maybe unprecedented, because she was only a sophomore when she applied,” explains Sherma. “The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, medicine, and engineering, and most of those chosen to give talks are seniors or graduate students. Giving a talk at an awards symposium is prestigious and important in developing career skills and making professional contacts.”
Along with Sharon Bandstra ’06 (Midland Park, N.J.), Murray conducted independent study research comparing the lipid content of mice infected with the parasitic flatworm Echinostoma caproni and uninfected mice. The students worked together to care for the mice and process samples. While Bandstra studied neutral lipid content, Murray analyzed phospholipid content.
“Being able to present my research at MARM’s student award symposium was so much fun,” she says. “[It] allowed me to share what I have worked so hard on with other chemists not associated with Lafayette College. It was also quite an honor to be an undergraduate student presenting, [especially] one not presenting thesis work as many of the students at the symposium were.”
Murray’s research is preliminary work that will provide a foundation for a future diagnostic test for humans infected with the parasite. Currently, the laborious method of light microscopy is used to detect the parasites by the presence of their eggs in fecal samples. The research team plans to submit its findings for publication in an international parasitology journal.
Murray is continuing her research with Fried and Sherma this summer through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
“She is a delight to work with,” says Fried. “It is a joy to be able to work with students such as Karen.”
Through the EXCEL program, Murray will continue examining phospholipids. She also will use metabolic profiling to determine if age is a factor in uninfected mouse lipid content. She plans to carry her EXCEL research into the fall semester.
“Karen is an extraordinary research student,” says Sherma. “She learns quickly, is very interested in the project, and is exceptionally well-organized and efficient.”
Murray, who plans to attend graduate school after Lafayette, appreciates the opportunities she has had to conduct in-depth research in areas that will have real-world impact. She credits Lafayette and her collaborators with maximizing her research experiences.
“Having participated in both independent study during the semester and EXCEL during the summer, I know my choice of Lafayette was very sound,” she says. “The opportunity has been very exciting and rewarding. I have encountered a number of problems in my work, which have at times frustrated me. Yet these problems have given me the chance to work even more closely with Drs. Fried and Sherma and have allowed me to delve deeper into my field of research. I have greatly enjoyed the relative ease of being able to join the research community at Lafayette.
“Working with professors who both have emeritus status has been neat because I get to work with professors I would not normally meet. And I have the added bonus of working with professors who have worked in their respective fields for many years and have amassed a great deal of knowledge through their years of research, but still have a lot of enthusiasm for more research and working with new students.”
Included in Who’s Who in America and once featured on the Discovery Channel, Fried is one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of parasitology, with three organisms named in his honor. His research has led to important advances in the effort to conquer tropical diseases caused by parasitic flatworms. He often includes Lafayette students in his groundbreaking research.
Author of more than 600 research papers, books, and reviews, Sherma has spent much of his career advancing the fields of pesticide analysis and chromatography. A recipient of the 1995 American Chemical Society Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution sponsored by Research Corporation, Sherma has involved more than 150 different Lafayette students as coauthors for over 220 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. His latest book on preparative layer chromatography was published this year.
Murray is a member of Le Cercle Francais (French Club) and leads the volunteer portion of Le Petit Cercle Francais, tutoring students at Forks Elementary School in French language skills. She traveled to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands for the special Lafayette course Medieval Architecture in Northern Europe during the January interim session. She also is a member of Lafayette Christian Fellowship and Lafayette Society of Neuroscience and is a resident adviser. She is a graduate of Hayfield Secondary School.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars like Murray receive a special academic scholarship and distinctive educational experiences and benefits. This includes a three-week, Lafayette-funded course abroad or in the United States during January’s interim session between semesters or the summer break. Marquis Scholars also participate in mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty and cultural activities in major cities and on campus.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.