Hooked on Research

Hooked on Research

©2016 Scott Roberts c/o theispot.com

©2016 Scott Roberts c/o theispot.com

Usually, if a student is interested in doing cutting-edge biochemistry research, the path is long and paved with many introductory courses. For the past two years, Wellesley has been offering a shortcut.

Over Wintersession, Elizabeth Oakes, a senior lab instructor in the chemistry department, and Bret Redwine, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, offer a weeklong “boot camp” program in biochemistry research. Aimed at first-year students who didn’t have much laboratory experience in high school and might otherwise be intimidated by lab courses, the program comprises 12 Wellesley students and six graduate students. Each graduate student shepherds two students through a week of research, centered around isolating a “motor” protein that acts as a “semi-truck” carrying other proteins around inside cells.

“It’s not a cookbook biochemistry lab, where we know that nothing is going to fail,” says Oakes. “It’s part of the idea that … the course is designed to show every aspect of being a scientist,” explains Redwine. And part of that is emphasizing that “science is an endeavor of people,” he says.

After two years, Oakes and Redwine say the experiment is working. Many of the students who have gone through the boot camp have continued to take STEM courses and pursue research in the lab. The two hope that in years to come, they can expand the program to include multiple, concurrent research bootcamps.

You Might Like
  • Get with the Programming
    Wellesley students are flocking to the computer science department, drawn in by the friendly faculty, innovative labs, and the promise of making a difference in the world through tech.More
  • Math for Everyone
    The Wellesley Emerging Scholars Initiative (WESI) encourages persistence and helps underrepresented students complete their calculus courses.More
  • ‘Listening’ to the Dark and Violent Universe
    Albert Einstein gave humanity a new way of looking at the universe: his general theory of relativity. It suggested a way of listening to the universe as well: gravitational waves, or “ripples in the fabric of space-time.” Nergis Mavalvala ’90 is one of the people who is listening.More

Post a CommentView Full Policy

We ask that those who engage in Wellesley magazine's online community act with honesty, integrity, and respect. (Remember the honor code, alums?) We reserve the right to remove comments by impersonators or comments that are not civil and relevant to the subject at hand. By posting here, you are permitting Wellesley magazine to edit and republish your comment in all media. Please remember that all posts are public.

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.