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Biochemistry, a leading industry journal, recently published an article detailing protein research conducted by Yvonne Gindt, assistant professor of chemistry, and five student researchers.
Student coauthors include chemistry graduate Katie Thoren ’06, biochemistry graduates Katelyn Connell ’04 and Taylor Robinson ’06, chemistry major David Shellhamer ’07(Yardley, Pa.), and biochemistry major Margaret Tammaro ’08 (Dunellen, N.J.).
Their research focused on understanding what causes protein molecules to bind. Because there are few techniques for studying the process, little is understood about this area of biochemistry called oligomeration, or protein-to-protein interactions. Understanding these interactions is critically important to understanding why proteins clump together in diseases such as type II diabetes and Parkinson’s.
Students gained invaluable experience from the research and preparing their results for publication.
“Taking part in the paper showed me a lot about the process of not only performing the research but getting ‘publication quality data,’ as Dr. Gindt always says,” says Tammaro. “Not only do you need data that means something, but it must be reproducible. Also, actually getting published takes quite a long time, and involves several revisions of the manuscript and many additional trials and standards.”
Gindt has been working closely with students on protein research for several years through the EXCEL Scholars program and independent research. She believes Lafayette offers many productive opportunities for undergraduates to prepare for the future.
“Our teaching labs [in the classroom] generally always work, so the students get the impression that experiments work a lot better than we see in real life,” reveals Gindt. “Therefore, the independent research gives them a realistic impression of what does happen in an active research lab. The EXCEL program at Lafayette is an excellent vehicle for getting students into the research lab. I strongly believe that the students gain great benefits from the research. They have better analytical skills, better lab skills, and they get exposed to more advanced concepts. It is excellent preparation for graduate school. Many of the top grad programs will not accept students who do not have research experience.”
Working on research with Gindt outside the classroom inspired Thoren, a Goldwater recipient, to further her studies in graduate school. Currently working toward a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley, Thoren is studying how proteins are transported across membranes.
“The research experience has prepared me for graduate school,” she says. “Conducting research with Dr. Gindt was probably the most influential factor in my decision to attend graduate school. My research taught me to examine problems with a critical eye. I learned that science is not set in stone, but is an extremely dynamic field that is constantly being updated and revised. What we read in textbooks is not the end-all truth, but is a compilation of years of research, including many successes as well as many failures.”
For nearly 10 months at Lafayette, Thorencarefully observed interactions among chains of amino acids, learning how the proteins they comprise fold and unfold. She presented the results of her work, which may help the effort to cure certain diseases, at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
A peer tutor and general chemistry lab teaching assistant, Tammaro also is impressed with Gindt’s expertise.
“Dr. Gindt is a great teacher and mentor,” explains the Marquis Scholar. “She is always willing to explain something I might be confused about, and she turns almost everything we do in lab into a learning experience for me and the other students she works with. She is also very passionate about the work that she does and it shows.”
Last summer, Tammaro performed experiments on protein folding that could lead to a greater understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes. She plans to attend graduate school to study biochemistry or a related field.
Gindt received a $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue her research with Lafayette students on protein folding and aggregation, which has applications to a number of terminal diseases. She investigated improper folding of proteins with three students who presented their findings at the Intercollegiate Student Chemists Convention and recently accompanied three of her research students to a national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
A member of the Lafayette faculty since 2001, Gindt has received the Delta Upsilon Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring Award. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley and a B.S. from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
In Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, 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.
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.