College of Arts and Sciences
American University
Washington, D. C.
Spring 2008
www.american.edu/cas
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY SCIENCE
editorial
SCIENCE ISSUES—Human Genetic Engineering
One of the most cutting-edge, fascinating technologies in the biological sciences today is genetic
engineering. The ability to add, modify, or remove certain genes in a DNA molecule to change
its code has sparked both widespread wonder and controversy. For humans, it brings the hope
that certain genetic disorders, like sickle cell anemia and color blindness, can be eradicated,
as the inherited genes that cause the disorders can be removed from sufferers’ genetic codes.
However, many people are cautious or even skeptical about developing such a powerful
technology: altering nature’s path could effect unforeseeable damage. For example, during the
Industrial Revolution, excessive pollutants seriously damaged the ozone layer, which scientists
had yet to discover.
Whether eventually used to treat diseases or merely to allow couples to cosmetically design their
unborn children, a very thorough understanding of genetic engineering should be obtained before
it is used to alter human beings. As of now, with the success of the Human Genome Project, the
entire genetic makeup of human beings has been uncovered, but the 25,000–30,000 genes in
the human fabric account for a mere 3 percent of DNA. The rest largely remains a mystery.
Two major types of genetic engineering currently exist: somatic modification and germ line
modification. The first type is a genetic modification to cells other than sperm or egg cells,
while the second type involves altering sperm, egg, or young embryonic cells. While somatic
modification is not inheritable by future generations, germ line modification is, meaning it could
appear in the DNA of all future generations, implementing irreversible change in the species.
This is where skeptics of genetic engineering raise red flags: is it ethical or even safe to make
permanent changes to the biological codes that define our physical beings? Some would insist
that neglecting to use DNA technology that could potentially save lives is irresponsible or even
unethical in itself.
Regardless of one’s stance, the powers of technology should always be approached with
both caution and grace. The power to drastically change the world for better or for worse is
incredible and should be treated with respect. Abuse could lead to disastrous consequences
and generations of regret. That is not to say that we shouldn’t always strive to relieve those who
suffer from disease, but given all the other possibilities of genetic engineering, from giving people
extra limbs, to giving an unborn child the looks of his or her parents’ favorite celebrity, it so begs
the question: Is the human race ready for human genetic engineering?
Mission Statement:
A catalyst, as defined by scientists, facilitates
chemical reactions by bringing together substances
that might not interact in its absence. Similarly,
Catalyst is one place where all the sciences come
together to relay exciting scientific developments
happening at AU in the AU community and beyond.
Catalyst is a semiannual magazine created to
promote discourse and keep us up to date about
how science at AU affects and inspires us all. Our
mission is to: serve students and faculty in the
sciences as a means to inspire, inform, and promote
discourse; share news and accomplishments of
students and faculty; inform students of timely
and valuable opportunities; raise the profile of the
sciences at AU; and expose students outside of CAS
to exciting science classes.
Our success will be measured by how useful
and informative you find this publication. So we
want to hear from you!
Editors:
Sara Bahraini, psychology '09
Anneke Mulder, literature '09
catalyst.au @gmail.com
Faculty Advisor:
Christopher Tudge
ctudge@american.edu
Sara Bahraini
Coeditor
sara.bahraini@american.edu
Please submit letters to the editor to catalyst.au@gmail.com.
“The Hot Spot for Science Education”
Catalyst is published semiannually by the
Catalyst is supported in part through generous donations from alumni and friends of the College of Arts and Sciences.
College of Arts and Sciences
American University
If you wish to make a donation online, go to giving.american.edu. Select Make a Gift and choose the College of Arts and Sciences
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
under Area of Benefit, then fill in the amount of your donation. At the Designation/In honor of window, key in Catalyst magazine.
Washington, DC 20016
Thank you.
www.american.edu/cas/catalyst
on the cover
Inspired by the film The Silence of the Lambs, the cover features Omobolanle Oyefule, a freshman premed
student at AU. Photo by Jeff Watts
SCIENCE ISSUES—Human Genetic Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside cover
SCIENCE STARS: Student Projects Affecting You
The Effects of Rumination on Eating Disorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Why some people develop eating disorders and some do not
Keeping Data under Lock and Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
High-level math powers industrial-strength encryption
Internships and Jobs: Opportunities for Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Getting out of Dodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CAP intern amps up career at Echo Studios
PROFESSOR PROFILES
Stephen Casey: Mathematician and friend of Hobbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
James Girard: Proving the father-daughter bond is covalent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Tracking Down Science Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Internships (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back cover
Taking
Science
Out of D.C.
Photo by Sara Bahraini
To try to answer these questions, Etu
conducted a study of 103 American University
undergraduate students between the ages of
18 and 26 to discover a link between body
image perception and eating disorders.
At the beginning of the study, Etu measured
the participants’ possible depression
symptoms, as well as their feelings about
their body images. To do this, she used a
contour body reading scale, which is a chart
with various body types on it. Participants
would then choose which one best
represented them. This process can measure
the subject’s level of body dissatisfaction.
Sarah Etu
The Effects of Rumination on Eating Disorders
By Kelly Moynihan, journalism '08
Why do some people develop eating
disorders, while others do not?
This was one of the questions Sarah Etu,
a third-year PhD candidate studying clinical
psychology at the College of Arts and
Sciences, set out to answer in her master’s
thesis research on rumination and body
image distress.
Etu relates rumination to the process in
which cows digest their food. They do not
digest it all at once but rather continuously by
repeatedly bringing up the food from
one of their four stomachs.
“Rumination for people who suffer from body
image distress,” explains Etu, “is when they
keep thinking about negative body images,
and it turns into a vicious cycle which can
lead to depression and eating disorders.”
Etu said she became interested in researching
body images and eating disorders because
they are so prevalent in our society. Since
many people have issues with their body
image, but not all people develop eating
disorders, Etu wanted to conduct a study
to find out why.
“A lot of research has been done on anxiety
and depression, and I wanted to extend that
to eating disorders,” said Etu. “Why do people
develop eating disorders? At what point can
you break the cycle and problem-solve?”
Catalyst Spring 2008 2
Etu then broke the subjects into two groups.
The first group was presented with a bad
body scenario and then was asked to write
an essay for eight minutes while the second
group, used as a control group, received a
distraction prompt and wrote about topics
unrelated to body image. Examples of
negative prompts used with the first group
were “overhearing someone say, ‘you look
fat’ or asking participants to write about
how they don’t look as good as they would
like,” explained Etu. “I predicted that the
subjects who were asked to ruminate
about the situation would feel worse
about their bodies after the manipulation
compared to those who were asked to
distract themselves from the event.”
After the manipulation, Etu measured how the
participants were feeling about their bodies at
that moment.
“I used four measures to assess how the
participants felt about their bodies after the
manipulation,” said Etu. “The results for three
“Rumination for people
who suffer from body
image distress,” explains
Etu, “is when they keep
thinking about negative
body images, and it turns
into a vicious cycle which
can lead to depression
and eating disorders.”
out of the four measures were statistically
significant. Overall, those in the rumination
group tended to feel worse about their bodies
after the manipulation. The results suggest
that ruminating about a negative body image
event as opposed to distracting yourself
from the event increases one’s likelihood of
experiencing body image distress.”
Etu said that after the study, those in the
rumination group read a positive prompt to
improve their outlook. “We didn’t want the
participants feeling worse than when they
came in when they left the lab,” Etu said.
Etu hopes that with her research scientists
and doctors can design eating disorder
treatments to target ruminative tendencies.
James Gray, a professor in CAS’s
Department of Psychology, sponsored Etu’s
research, which was funded in part by an
AU-sponsored Mellon Grant.
For her PhD dissertation, Etu might extend her
research further by exploring the relationship
between eating pathologies and rumination
more directly by researching effects like those
of rumination on treatment outcomes for
individuals with eating disorders.
Catalyst Spring 2008 3
Photo by Sara Bahraini
cryptography is a simple concept if one thinks
of it in terms of locks.
“When you have something you want to
protect, you put it inside a security box with
a lock on the outside,” explained Amezcua.
“With cryptography, you put information
inside the box and create mathematical
equations to create and secure the lock.”
Amezcua’s research centers on dissecting
and creating mathematical equations—
locks—that are nearly impossible
to decode because the security and
effectiveness of cryptography relies on
the impenetrability of these equations.
Amezcua believes the complexity of
the equations behind elliptic curve
cryptography—a sector of cryptography
that he researches—makes it one of the
most reliable methods of encryption.
Juan Amezcua
Keeping DATA UnDer Lock and Key
By Sarah Levy, journalism and Spanish, ’09
Encryption—a complicated field that, in
layman’s terms, simply means secret
writing—is present in everyone’s life.
Children speak pig latin to prevent their
parents from understanding their allimportant conversations. Adults rely on
bank codes to prevent unwelcome access
to their accounts. At the highest level,
government officials rely on near-impenetrable
codes to ensure national security.
The importance and prevalence of
encryption in everyday life assures Juan
Amezcua, 29, that he is in the right
field of research. Amezcua, a secondyear graduate student in the master’s in
mathematics program, studies the equations
behind the science of cryptography.
While the word cryptography connotes
complexity, Amezcua explains that
Catalyst Spring 2008 4
Amezcua compares elliptic curve
cryptography to the best lock brand available.
“It offers improved processing benefits that
make it more difficult to break into what
you’ve secured,” he said. The current U.S.
government standard is called the Advanced
Encryption Standard and is commonly used
in today’s encryption programs. But Amezcua
thinks elliptic curve cryptography will become
the standard of the future.
Professor Joshua Lansky of AU’s Department
of Mathematics and Statistics, Amezcua’s
graduate advisor, also thinks that elliptic curve
cryptography will soon become the preferred
method of encryption. “The formulas used in
elliptic curve cryptography are infinitely more
complicated than the methods in use now,”
said Lansky.
“The major problem with the Advanced
Encryption Standard is that, as technology
keeps advancing, it gets weaker and easier
to break into,” said Amezcua. “Elliptic curve
cryptography is much stronger and would
require much more computing power to
break into. It took a team of people utilizing
a massive amount of computing power,
including 10,000 computers running 24 hours
a day for 549 days, to break the simplest
[elliptic curve cryptography] code.”
Amezcua’s confidence in the future of elliptic
curve cryptography has left him determined
to become an expert in this cutting-edge
subdivision of encryption. “Companies
are already starting to adopt [elliptic curve
cryptography] as the new standard,” he said.
“As more companies jump on board, they are
going to need experts.”
And every expert should have some hands-on
experience in this province. Amezcua created
his own cryptographic software based on this
standard for his thesis project. The encryption
program successfully functions, but Amezcua
has yet to provide it as a service for others to
use. Today, there are Web sites that provide
encryption software for public use.
Though Amezcua sees his research as a
way to contribute to national security, he
recognizes that encryption programs are
useful to everyone. “It’s applicable to anyone
who has a secret to keep,” he said. “And
everyone has secrets.”
Internships and jobs
Full details of all positions can be found on
the American University CareerWeb
www.american.edu/careercenter/students/
aucareerweb.html
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
National Center for Environmental Research
Position: Science Journalism Intern (Paid)
Description: Assistant on various scientific
journalism projects, such as creating onepage summaries of research findings.
Seeking college students with communication
skills and some scientific background.
To Apply: Send a description of your academic and
professional experience, availability, professional
interests, and contact information, as well as
a résumé and a one-page writing sample to
Sascha Lodge at lodge.sascha@epa.gov.
Deadline: April 8, 2008
www.epa.gov
National Museum of Health and Medicine
Position: Human Developmental Anatomy Center
Intern (Unpaid)
Description: Inventory, re-housing, organizing,
imaging, and storing of objects and more.
Seeking undergraduate biology majors or those
in related fields. Manual labor required.
To Apply: Send a cover letter, including
desired length and time for the proposed
internship based on availability, and résumé
to nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil, ATTN: HDAC.
Deadline: January 2, 2009, applications accepted
through the year
www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/nmhm.html
Discovery Creek Children's
Museum of Washington
Summer Camp
Position: Summer Camp Internship (Paid)
Description: Teaching camp activities, creating
and modifying camp programs, and handling
and caring for the museum animal collection.
Involves working with young children and
gaining a basic science background. Seeking
creative, energetic people with outdoor,
environmental, science education backgrounds.
Deadline: June 1, 2008
To Apply: Submit cover letter and résumé to:
Nico Piro
Outdoor Education Manager
Discovery Creek Children's Museum of Washington
P.O. Box 70437
Washington, DC 20024
or e-mail: npiro@discoverycreek.org.
In cover letter, please specify which internship you
are applying for.
www.discoverycreek.org/activities/07camp.php
Our Task
Position: Global Modeling Internship (Unpaid)
Description: For full information visit Web site.
Interns will help with various aspects in the
development of OT's Youth Earth Plan. The YEP
will be supported by a Youth Earth Model. OT
is developing the Youth Earth Plan to address
the question: "How are we humans to meet the
legitimate needs of the growing human community
without destroying the ability of Earth to support the
whole community of life?" Tasks include building
a spreadsheet tool providing simple projections of
a few key variables for every country of the world,
Web research on existing simple global models, and
development of a list of global strategies from OT's
summaries of published sustainable development
strategies. Recommended skills include proficiency
in Excel, Access, and applied mathematics,
including calculus and statistics, experience with
modeling, especially dynamic modeling (e.g.,
Vensim PLE, www.vensim.com/venple.html).
To Apply: Send your résumé and an
e-mail describing your interests, skills, and
qualifications to Jessica Wessell, development
coordinator, at jess@ourtask.org. Please
specify if internship is for academic credit.
Deadline: September 10, 2008
www.ourtask.org
continued on inside back cover
Catalyst Spring 2008 5
Photo by Sara Bahraini
Andrew Allen
Catalyst Spring 2008 6
CAP Intern Amps up
Career at Echo Studios
By Rafeena Ahmad, literature and
philosophy, ’10
Echo Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, has been
associated with such famous musical artists
as Wyclef, DJ Drama, Snoop Dogg, Young
Dro, and Young Jeezy. Producers who have
worked with the recording studio include
Polow da Don, Chad West, Mannie Fresh,
and C-Gutta (also known as Lil C).
Echo’s reputation in the hip-hop community
was enough to persuade Andrew Allen ’09,
who is studying audio technology in the
College of Arts and Sciences, to intern there
without pay.
“It is exactly what I thought it would be—hard
work,” says Allen. “But the hard work pays
off when you are immersed in something
you love.”
Indeed it has. Allen has recently been
promoted from intern to assistant and
has been offered a full-time job with Echo
upon graduation.
As an intern, Allen’s responsibilities
were keeping everything “neat and
clean, stocked, and enjoyable” for those
who use the facilities. “We focus on
making sure the artists are comfortable
and have what they need to enjoy
their recording time,” says Allen.
Without the structure and expertise of the
professors Allen has had in his three years at
AU, he would not have been so comfortable
Catalyst Spring 2008 7
“No matter what you
do, do it because you
genuinely like doing
it,” Allen says. “Then
everything will simply
fall into place.”
in the studio. Allen describes the caliber
of the professors in the audio technology
department as “unmatched.”
“My education at AU gave me insight on the
correct terms used and the skill to know what
to do . . . [I was] certainly prepared . . . for
the internship as far as working hard and
being knowledgeable about what was going
on,” Allen says.
After his experience with AU’s audio
technology department and the internship
he landed because of his major, Allen feels
the best advice he can offer is to follow
your passion.
“No matter what you do, do it because you
genuinely like doing it,” Allen says. “Then
everything will simply fall into place.”
Allen advises that choosing a career
ill suited to your passions will only
create “negative feelings” which will
“get in the way of [your] goals.”
Photo by Anneke Mulder
further, the real component is a number
of the sort that non-mathematicians and
mathematicians alike are familiar with, and the
imaginary part is a multiple of the square root
of negative one.
Stephen Casey
Professor Stephen Casey:
Mathematician and Friend of Hobbits
Casey also devotes much of his time to the
study of harmonic analysis, or the math of
sounds and images. He explains that this
is “a way to represent a sound or image in
a mathematical context.” These “tools [for]
breaking down complicated objects, such as
signals, into fundamental components” allow
Casey to do computations with them. The
practical applications of his research in this
field are, he assures me, “too numerous to
list.” Any time we record music or transmit
images, for example, we use this research.
The specific problem that inspired Casey’s
latest project came to his attention during a
sleepover hosted at his house by his 12-yearold daughter, Kit-Kat. In the course of the
evening, he observed the “Pre-Teen Titans,”
as he has dubbed them, using their cell
phones to talk, text, and send photos virtually
all at once. This led Casey to an important
realization: “the math behind the scenes,” or
the math of signal processing that allows cell
phones to transmit information, must “catch
up” to meet the newly fast-paced demands of
the consumer.
By Anneke Mulder, Literature ’09
Upon hearing the suggestion, “Let’s go to
hyper-triangle three,” one might envision a
scene aboard the Enterprise. However, our
scene takes place in a classroom of Gray
Hall. Hyper-triangles are hardly uncommon
figures for Professor Stephen Casey, as he
teaches the advanced math class called
Complex Analysis.
But what is complex analysis? The name itself
can be intimidating. “Complex,” however,
Casey insists, is a bit of “a misnomer.”
In Casey’s words, the study of complex
analysis “takes advantage of the geometry of
complex numbers and functions.” Complex
numbers are numbers that have a real and
an imaginary component. To break this down
Catalyst Spring 2008 8
Casey’s solution to this problem is to use
“the geometry of the signal space” in a
different way. His aim is to enable a device
such as a cell phone to switch bandwidth
“at the whim” of the user. Bandwidth
is a term for the amount of information
transmitted at a certain frequency.
In the process of publishing this idea,
Casey had the opportunity to present it at
a conference in Greece, his description of
which reveals a whole new scholarly side.
One of the experiences he was most excited
about, he says, was “reading Aristotle in
Greek in Greece.” Indeed, Casey graduated
from Drew University with undergraduate
degrees in both math and philosophy, and he
still invokes his favorite philosophers in his
teaching today. One would be hard pressed
to find a student of Casey’s who hasn’t heard
his story of composing his most memorable
philosophy paper, for which he went without
sleep for multiple days.
It is, in fact, this familiarity with Casey’s
innumerable stories—including his endeavors
to decorate the storage spaces beneath
the stairwells in Gray Hall as the offices of
Professors Frodo and Bilbo Baggins—that
makes his students so fond of his classes.
And the affection goes both ways, too.
“Interactions with you guys make my job a
real joy,” Casey avers. The word “wonderful”
recurs several times as he goes into glowing
detail about his students. Casey has found
Catalyst Spring 2008 9
the science and math students at AU to be
engaged and sincere in their studies—“a
hidden gem of AU.” The result of the
students’ enthusiasm, he says, is that he
is “always trying to think of new ways to
explain” important concepts to his classes.
He confides, “I want to share my insights so
we can share the joy of learning it.”
Photo courtesy of James Girard
James Girard and Lauren Girard
Proving the Father-Daughter Bond Is Covalent
By Shayna Bailey, Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate ’09
Sitting across from Professor James Girard
in his third-floor office in Beeghly, one can
hardly believe that this renowned forensic and
environmental chemist was once banned from
doing chemistry experiments in his mother’s
kitchen. After hearing about his alcohol
lamp fire and unsuccessful requests of the
neighborhood pharmacist for chemicals, the
prospect becomes more believable.
Describing chemistry as “my favorite
course ever,” though, Girard can hardly
be blamed for his early enthusiasm. Years
later, his passion has translated into three
textbooks, more than 60 journal articles, and
some $3 million in grants. Girard’s latest
textbook, Criminalistics: Forensic Science
and Crime, was released in July 2007 and
is the companion to his highly acclaimed
general education course, Criminalistics,
Crime and Society (CHEM 250).
Catalyst Spring 2008 10
Unlike his mother, who sometimes met his
enthusiasm for chemistry with chagrin,
Girard says he couldn’t be happier about his
daughter’s decision to pursue a master’s
in chemistry. After receiving her BS in
biochemistry from AU in ’06, Lauren Girard
chose to apply for her master’s degree while
solidifying her long-term academic plans. The
plan itself sounds logical, but some college
students would shy away from the prospect
of attending college at the same university
where a parent was teaching. Choosing
to stay longer, while studying in the same
department, might seem like outright insanity.
Lauren didn’t begin her academic career at
AU, though, and once she decided to transfer,
her reasons for matriculating resembled many
other students’. AU was close to her parents’
home in Virginia, had a good academic
program, and had a centralized campus—
unlike most other Washington, D.C., schools.
“Coming in as a transfer student, it was
difficult to acclimate to the campus, but I
started being a stock person, preparing labs
for general chemistry,” she says. “Everybody
[in the Chemistry Department] already knew
me because of my dad, and so the professors
took me under their wing.”
“Even now,” Lauren says, laughing, “Arij
Farran [the senior administrative assistant
for the chemistry department ] will ask me
things like whether I need money for lunch. I
feel really comfortable here in the chemistry
department. I know a lot of people who work
here very personally and I really like that they
open themselves up like that.”
Aside from the camaraderie in the chemistry
department, Lauren’s experience has been
so positive she says if she could do it over
again, she would have started out at AU. Both
Lauren and her father credit her attendance at
AU with strengthening their relationship.
As a biochemistry major, Lauren had her
father not only as an academic advisor, but
she also had to take his Analytical Chemistry
course her junior year.
“At first, I was unsure. I thought people would
say I would get special treatment,” Lauren
says. “But he had other people grading the
exams and it was great. I loved it.”
Girard says, “We have a lot in common.
We know the same people. I can tell her
chemistry jokes and she actually gets it. It’s
been good for us to work together and be on
the same team.”
Lauren wasn’t always convinced that
chemistry would be her passion, though.
Because he was the son of a blue-collar
father, Girard says that his career in science
started humbly, tinkering with radios and
electronics in his teens.
“I decided I was going to be an electrical
engineer,” he says. “Then I got to college and
had friends taking chemistry.”
“In high school, I took chemistry and it
was really good,” Lauren says. “Originally,
I wanted to go to veterinary school, but as
college classes became harder, chemistry
was easier.”
Lauren also says that personality differences
have also contributed to their current paths.
Lauren’s stepmother, Connie Diamant,
while applauding Lauren’s current course of
study, always pushed her to be a teacher.
Telling her that she had good interpersonal
skills, Diamant, who holds a PhD from AU’s
School of Education, Teaching and Health,
encouraged her to pursue an academic field
more like her own.
As Girard points out, you don’t raise seven
kids and end up being a pushover.
“She’s always been supportive, but she always
knocks on professors—especially science
professors—because she thinks that they
don’t teach well,” Lauren says, smiling. “She
always says that science people think that
they’re so smart and that they’re better than
everyone,” Lauren says. “She puts my dad in
check, too—she’ll always question whether or
not he’s trying to prove that he’s smarter than
his students. That really helps him, I think.”
Although both Girards study the same field,
the differences in their interests are marked.
“I’ve always been interested in how things
work. While Lauren is interested in chemistry,
that’s not her passion,” Girard says.
Catalyst Spring 2008 11
“My dad is more type A, no B.S. He knows
what he wants.”
Despite his no-nonsense method of
child rearing, the sincerity of the relaxed,
comfortable relationship that the fatherdaughter pair share is evident in their
interactions. One can’t help but wonder
whether any of the other Girards feel left
out—maybe even jealous—at times. When
it comes to the nerdy, inside chemistry jokes
that the two often share—“My name is Bond,
Ionic Bond; taken not shared!”—both Girard
and Lauren agree.
“I don’t think they want to be included!”
Lauren says.
Where Are
W?here Are They NOW?
W
here
A
re
T
hey
They?
Science and Policy Meet in Cancer Studies
By Arielle Burlett, SOC ’08
A background in environmental studies and
political science can transcend science
boundaries in more ways than many people
may think. Just ask AU graduate Abby Colson,
who recently completed research projects
in current malaria and lung cancer trends.
During Colson’s final semester at AU in
spring 2007, she was presented with the
opportunity to work on malaria research for
her Honors Senior Capstone, a culmination
project designed for University Honors
students to display their knowledge in a field
of study. After completing her capstone,
Colson moved on to lung cancer research.
Though Colson had no background in
research before starting the projects, she
had been interested in pursuing public
health issues throughout college.
“In public health, many science, policy,
and environmental issues can be integrated
together, which ties into all of my interests,”
she says.
Working with Monica Jackson, a statistics
professor at AU and her capstone advisor,
Colson first set out to find correlations
between different weather variables and
malaria prevalence rates in West Africa. She
gathered malaria prevalence data for West
Africa over a 30-year period using statistics
from the MARA project, which is designed to
target malaria risk and control in Africa. These
data were then averaged with daily weather
patterns in West Africa over the same 30-year
period using a linear regression analysis.
To Colson’s surprise, the research findings
presented no significant relationship between
weather variables and the prevalence rate
of malaria in West Africa. However, she still
thinks there is a correlation between the two
and plans to look at other factors in the future.
“I would like to test how preceding year
factors would affect prevalence rates of the
next year,” says Colson.
Contrary to her original stance, the recent
graduate now thinks there are more pressing
threats to fighting malaria than just climate
change. One of the main concerns in the
“malaria war” is antimalarial drug resistance.
Currently scientists know of only one
drug that malaria has not yet developed a
resistance to. The drug, known as Artemisin,
is produced from a tree extract and is
often referred to as a “miracle drug.” To
maintain its effectiveness, the World Health
Organization is developing protection policies
to ensure that Artemisin will be used only in
combination with other antimalarial drugs.
Colson thinks fighting malaria is so important
because “it is fully treatable, but so many
people are still dying from it. There is so
much interest in pouring money into malaria
intervention programs and therefore we must
make sure the money is used efficiently.”
Next on Colson’s plate was a summer
research project on lung cancer, which
enabled her to use knowledge of both
environmental studies and politics. The study
involved finding a link between the prevalence
Catalyst Spring 2008 12
of lung cancer in children and residential
radon (a cancer-causing radioactive gas).
According to the Environmental Protection
Agency, radon is the second-leading cause
of lung cancer next to smoking. The deadly,
odorless gas can break down into radioactive
agents when inhaled.
Since evidence shows that children are
most affected by radon’s hazards, Colson
attempted to test the findings. After receiving
grant money from American University’s
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
she collected radon data from the California
Department of Health and cancer statistics
from Surveillance Epidemiology and End
Results, a program of the National Cancer
Institute. Her data were then organized into
a zero-inflated Poisson model. However,
the model didn’t produce the results Colson
had hoped for, perhaps because the testing
sample was too small.
Now that Colson has two research
projects under her belt, she is focusing
on her job at Resources for the Future,
a nonprofit, independent research
organization in Washington, D.C., that
focuses on environmental, energy, and
natural resources issues. Though she is
not currently working on malaria or lung
cancer research, Colson still has research
ideas and plans, and she is considering
pursuing a graduate degree in epidemiology.
Internships and jobs
(continued from p. 5)
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Survey and Research Center
Position: Survey and Research Center Intern (Unpaid)
Description: Tasks include research, development,
and analysis for the 2008 Analysis of Workers'
Compensation Laws, U.S. Business Facts publication
resource and internal and external surveys. Other tasks
include running frequencies and cross-tabulations
from surveys in SPSS, research requests, and editing
documents and reports to ensure accuracy. Interns
will also prepare draft technical reports and analyses.
Seeking undergraduate students in good standing
at the sophomore level and above, studying business,
economics, statistics, finance, or other related areas.
Interns must have excellent writing and research skills;
Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook skills; and strong
organizational, communication, and time management
skills, as well as a basic knowledge
of statistics and research
methods. Working knowledge
of SPSS is also a plus.
Deadline: July 31, 2008
To Apply: visit Web site
www.uschamber.com/
careers/internships/
default
Advanced Concepts Group
Position: Engineer/Technical Researcher
Description: Seeking candidates with skills in
software engineering (SOA, XML/Web Services,
Java, Python), system administration, and system
analysis and design (Distributed Systems, Networking,
Network Security). For full details, visit Web site.
Deadline: July 09, 2009
www.acg-dc.com
NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness
Position: Communications Intern (Unpaid)
Description: Communications: The National
Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's
largest organization focused on serious mental
illnesses, offers unpaid internships for summer
2008 with its communications team; working
with media relations, publications and graphics,
Web site content and technical development, and
its National Information HelpLine. Writing skills
important. Background or interest in mental health
issues or healthcare policy helpful. Empathetic
interpersonal skills important for HelpLine.
Deadline: May 15, 2008
To Apply: Send letter, résumé and short writing
sample to NAMI Communications Internships
at Maggie@nami.org.
www.nami.org
National Dissemination Center for Children
with Disabilities (NICHCY)
Special Education Research
Position: NICHCY Research Intern (Unpaid)
Description: Tasks include assisting in the research
activities at the center, collecting and reviewing
educational research, and writing user-friendly
summaries targeted toward teachers and education
administrators. Interns will also contribute to the
development of print and web-based products based
on materials collected. Work may be conducted
remotely. Seeking master’s or doctoral students with
experience in education and familiarity with education
research, as well as the ability to write clearly and
concisely for a variety of audiences, including those
unfamiliar with the academic language of most
published research studies. Experience with word
processing and database software, attention to detail,
and the ability to work independently and as part of
a team are all required.
Catalyst Wants You
Want to contribute to Catalyst?
We need editors (any major) as coeditors
for Catalyst. This is usually for one year
(both the spring and the fall issues).
We need writers. If you want to get
writing experience, Catalyst is
a great opportunity.
We need photographers. All stories require
photographs to bring them to life. Put your
creative talents to work.
If you are interested in any of these roles, please
contact the current coeditors or the faculty
advisor listed in the front of the magazine.
Deadline: Sep 30, 2008
To Apply: contact Dr. Stephen Luke at 202-884-8703
or e-mail sluke@aed.org
www.nichcy.org
Environment America
Position: Issue Associate. Research and write reports,
develop and coordinate campaigns, prepare legislative
testimony, build statewide and national coalitions,
organize media events, raise funds, and meet with
elected officials.
Position: Field Associate. Build and demonstrate
support for proposals at the state or federal level.
Both positions may work on such issues as global
warming, energy policy, clean air and water, and open
spaces preservation. Both positions canvass and run
a citizen outreach office during the summer.
Description: Seeking “recent college graduates
who care about our environment and are driven to
preserve it for the future. We look for strong leadership
skills, academic excellence, problem solving ability,
and top-notch written and verbal skills. We value
experience with campus and activist groups.”
Locations across the country.
To Apply: Check with the Career Center to schedule
an on-campus interview, or apply online at www.
environmentamerica.org/jobs/environmentalfellowship/fellowship-application. For questions,
contact Maria Schweitzer in the Recruitment
Department at Jobs@EnvironmentAmerica.org
or 202-683-1250.
Deadline: See Web site.
www.environmentamerica.org/jobs
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