TRACY L. LAABS

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

University of Wisconsin Madison: B.S., Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2001

Research Interests:

Pharmacology, Physiology and Neurosciences

A 2001 graduate of the University Wisconsin-Madison, Tracy Laabs received a B.S. in pharmacology and toxicology with highest distinction. Tracy also was awarded the Wayne E. Hesch Memorial Scholarship, was an active member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, and was on the dean's list at the University Wisconsin- Madison. Following college, Tracy has spent two years carrying out research with Dr. Warren Heideman on cell cycle regulation in yeast. Tracy's main focus was the role of CLN3, a G1 cyclin, in governing progression through the cell cycle. She has recently had a paper describing her work accepted to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In her free time, Tracy loves the outdoors and has pursued public interest research directed at saving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Tracy is now most interested in neuropharmacology, and wishes to further understand "the chemistry of drugs and the mechanisms that produce physiological effects in pathways involved in neurological diseases" in her future academic and research endeavors.

MARTIN J. K. LAN

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

Wesleyan University: B.A., Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 1998

Research Interests:

Psychiatry, Mental Health and Neurosciences

Martin Lan is a molecular biology and biochemistry honors graduate of Wesleyan University and currently enrolled at Duke University Medical School. Martin received a Howard Hughes grant and pursued an honors thesis working on beta- lactamase inhibition, work that was recently published in two papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. After graduation, Martin worked on the elucidation of the slow response pathways downstream of dopamine receptors in Nobel laureate Paul Greengard's lab at Rockefeller University which led to co-authorship on an additional publication. In his spare time, Martin has participated in mentoring and coordinating programs for underserved students in East Harlem, which led him to seek a career in medicine. Martin also enjoys participating in outdoor activities including running, biking and hiking. In the future, Martin wishes to continue in the field of neuroscience, and plans to "combine scientific pursuits with clinical experience to become an academic physician."

JUSTIN D. LATHIA

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

University: M.S., Biomedical Engineering, B.S. Engineering, 2003

Research Interests:

Biomedical Engineering, Cancer and Oncological Sciences

An A.J. Drexel Scholar & Drexel University Honors Program student, Justin Lathia graduated with a combined B.S./M.S. in Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. Justin has received many academic honors, including induction into the Golden Key National Honors Society, the 2002 Director's Award for best biomedical engineering undergraduate student, and first place in multiple graduate and undergraduate poster competitions. He was also named to the USA Today All Academic Team this past year. Justin has participated in diverse research activities, such as the study of the response of cells to mechanical stimuli, work on the alternatives to biological vaccine cleaning validation, and the degradation of polymeric ultrasound contrast agents. Most recently, he has worked on the development of novel ultrasound contrast agents with Dr. Margaret Wheatley for his master's thesis on cancer targeting. Justin's work has been featured in various publications over the past two years. He worked in industry for a year with Merck & Co., where he contributed to vaccine development projects. Justin enjoys tennis in his spare time and is also charter president of Drexel University's Circle K group. Now Justin seeks to obtain a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, "with a specific concentration in cellular adhesion, surface modification of biomaterials, or the development of therapeutic biomaterials to promote specific cellular attachment for applications such as cancer."

TOMASZ J. MACURA

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

University of Maryland Baltimore County: B.S., Mathematics and Computer Science, 2003

Research Interests:

Biomedical Engineering

At 16, Thomas is one of the youngest graduates of the University of Maryland Baltimore County and earned both a B.S./M.S. degree in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science. During his career at UMBC, Tomasz received the Barry M. Goldwater Research Scholar award, the Provost Undergraduate Research Award, and multiple scholarships. For many of these honors he was the youngest recipient in the history of the award. He was also a member of various honors societies, including the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Computer Science Honor Society, the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, and the Golden Key National Honors Society. He also has carried out research at the National Cancer Institute and the Breast Cancer Undergraduate Research Experience Program at UMBC developing computer models and databases for cancer research. Outside of research, Tomasz is a gold medallist in national competition in Tae Kwon Do and has been recognized by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. He also enjoys water sports such as sailing and scuba diving and he has written an interactive computer-based tutorial on the physics of scuba-diving. Tomasz says, "I am comfortable with both people and numbers and my goal is to become a researcher and educator in the development of computer-aided medical diagnosis."

THOMAS P. LOZITO

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

Johns Hopkins University: B.S., Engineering, 2003

Research Interests:

Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics and Computational Science

An honors graduate from The Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. Biomedical Engineering and a Minor in Mathematics, Thomas Lozito has had a stellar academic career. In addition to receiving numerous scholarships including the Peter and Mary Torrieri Memorial, Associated Italian American Charities of Maryland, the Wye, and the Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholar, he has also received the Bausch & Lomb Science Award, the New Jersey Board of Education Recognition Award, the Presidential Academic Award, the United States Marine Corps Scholastic Excellence Award, the Milton H. Gelzer Valedictorian Award, and the Richard J. Johns Award for Outstanding Achievement in Biomedical Engineering. He has been fascinated by engineering problems in biology and was a member of the Biomedical Engineering Design Team. His research work has spanned the topics of mutant genes in border cell migration, signaling pathways required for cell motility, and identification of genes responsible for polar cell fate. He also participated in the Research Experience for Undergraduates at Purdue University, in which he developed a mathematical model of the T-lymphocyte antigen-signaling pathway. He has published several scientific papers and has been involved in several academic honors societies. Outside of academics, he has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Baltimore Soup Kitchen for the indigent. Thomas says that in his opinion, "computational modeling of biological systems offers a unique blend of experimental and theoretical work that results in a very satisfying combination of disciplines."

OGECHI N. IKEDIOBI

NIH - Cambridge Scholar

Degrees:

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University: Pharm.D., 2003

Research Interests:

Genetics, Human Genome, Cancer and Oncological Sciences

Ogechi Ikediobi is an International Baccalaureate diplomate and a summa cum laude graduate of the Florida A & M University with a major in Pharmacy. During her pharmacy school career, Ogechi was named a Florida Bright Futures academic scholar, a distinguished academic scholar at her university, and won two first place prizes in the Minority Biomedical Research Symposium. She is also a member of the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society. Ogechi has participated in various research opportunities, including work on long circulating monensin nanoparticles for the potentiation of immunotoxin and anticancer drugs at Florida A & M University, work on inhalation drug delivery department at 3M Pharmaceuticals, and on particle size determination of drug formulations at Shering Plough Pharmaceuticals. Her work has led to two publications. Outside of science, Ogechi enjoys writing short stories and poetry in her spare time and also plays both guitar and tennis. Ogechi has developed a specific interest in oncology research would like in the future to "become part of a pharmacogenomics team to enhance therapeutic drug selection in clinical settings through basic genomic research."