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Students Present Research on Capitol Hill

Shelli Frey'01 and Mike Ranen'00 (pictured left) exhibited their findings on photodynamic therapy, a laser-based cancer treatment that lacks the serious side effects of traditional chemotherapy. Their research in de Paula's laboratory was part of a six-ye

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Two Haverford students appeared on Capitol Hill this spring to explain the research they've been conducting on a particular form of cancer treatment.
Their work was one of 60 projects selected by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) to be on display for the organization's fourth annual "Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill," a lobbying and educational effort to promote increased funding for undergraduate scientific research.

"Federal funding gives us the opportunity to immerse the students completely into research activities," says Julio de Paula, chair of Haverford's chemistry department and a member of the CUR. "It's very important in preparing them to be independent thinkers and scholars in their fields."

De Paula says that federal funding benefits the students in the form of stipends for summer research, trips to various conferences and access to cutting-edge resources. He also notes that federal funding allows students and scientists at different undergraduate institutions to collaborate on specific research projects.

During their Washington trip, Frey and Ranen also discussed future research funding with Representatives and Senators from the college's district and their own home states of New York and Massachusetts, and they met with delegates from the National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society.

"We've benefited greatly from federal funding for undergraduate research," says Frey, who notes that such financial support allows students to use state-of-the-art equipment.

Over the last five years, Haverford scientists have received more than $6 million in support of their research primarily from the National Science Foundation, as well as the National Institutes of Health, NASA and private research grants.

Following last year's presentation on the physics of granular materials by David Cooper'99, Frey and Ranen's appearance on Capitol Hill marks the second-straight year that Haverford students were chosen to participate in the CUR event.

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