Amy Schaag
Year in school:
junior
Major degree program/department:
chemistry
Faculty mentor:
Silvia Jurisson, PhD, chemistry
How did you get involved with undergraduate research?
I got involved in research immediately my freshman year through the Discovery Fellows Program. Even though I wasn’t yet able to put much chemistry knowledge to work, it was still a really great experience and certainly confirmed for me that I wanted to major in chemistry. My favorite part about science has always been the hands-on part of it, so I knew even before I got to Mizzou that I wanted research to be an integral part of my undergraduate experience. I couldn’t wait to start!
On what kinds of projects have you worked?
During my freshman year in the Discovery Fellows Program I worked with Dr. Kattesh Katti, synthesizing gold nanoparticles for use in the diagnosis of cancer. Last summer I started working under Dr. Silvia Jurisson for the Arts and Science Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program. My project for that program, which is also still my current project, is to make a drug for breast and prostate cancer which targets the cancer cells specifically. I’m currently working on making a molecule called a chelate, which will hold a radioactive rhodium atom in its center; that chelate will later be linked to a peptide chain called bombesin. Since breast and prostate cancer cells have many peptide receptors, this drug, when injected into the body, should go straight to the tumor. The radioactive rhodium can then destroy the cancerous cells.
Why is this experience so valuable to you?
I truly believe that any education that does not include research is incomplete, no matter the field of study. There simply are concepts that can’t be learned from a textbook, and the best sort of understanding comes not from recitation but from discovery. I’ve learned things in my research that I couldn’t have learned in a class, and the connections I’ve made with my mentor and graduate students are irreplaceable.
What advice would you offer to other students considering undergraduate research?
First of all, if you’re considering it, there’s no reason not go for it because there is always a way to do research on this campus. Even if it’s not paid, it’s great to just get some experience under your belt. Think about professors you’ve had in the past, and look up their research online. You’re bound to find something that interests you! All you have to do is e-mail that professor expressing your interest, and they are way more than likely to be happy to take you on. So no matter your major, go for it!
