2008 Woodie Awards
Lakeland College student furthers the cause of Malaria detection
Jodie Liedke
Issue date: 10/21/04 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 2 next >
|
Yurs was one of 12 students who were chosen from 100 applicants to participate in the 10 week summer program that was hosted by the University of Arkansas's department of chemistry and biochemistry and co-advised by Dr. Paul and Dr. Bobbit. The program was funded by the National Science Foundation.
Yurs is a junior at Lakeland College double majoring in math and chemistry. She is also very active on the campus as a second-year residence assistant in Krueger Hall, member of Lakeland Singers and of the handbell ensemble. She also tutors in math, physics, chemistry and writing.
Yurs was a member of Professor Ingrid Fritsch's research team, along with two other students from the Arkansas area. The goal of their research was to produce a method of malaria detection that will aid in the development of a vaccine.
Yurs claimed the research was slow in the beginning; she spent most of her time reading and learning the new lab techniques that she would be using for the research.
The team used two different methods when trying to detect the malaria parasite: Immunoassays and DNA Hybridization assay, which were specific for the detection of the Circumsporozoite Protein (CSP). CSP is the coat protein for the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.
As their deadline came closer, the group was working over 16 hours each day. "The two other members of my group weren't morning people, so I was always the first one at the lab," Yurs said.
Her research group slowly made discoveries by conducting experiments on the two different assays to determine which approach would accomplish faster assay time and lower detection limits.
Yurs stated, "Most of the time we were frustrated rather than happy ... but when something happened it mattered."
Working with the research group wasn't like being in a chemistry lab back at Lakeland where the teachers knew the outcome of lab reactions. Yurs never knew what was going to happen because these were real experiments where the outcome of the reaction was unknown and it could potentially help someone.