Thursday, July 01, 2010

In the spotlight - Shweta Patel, Goldwater Scholarship Winner

Shweta Patel is the winner of prestigious Goldwater scholarship this year. She is a senior with Biology major at UAB. This year 278 sophomores and juniors nationwide were selected from 1,111 students nominated by their colleges and universities.

Shweta is also part of the University Honors Program. Her career plan is to go into academic medicine: not only practice medicine at a leading medical university, but also teach and conduct research.

“Academic medicine allows me to fulfill my goal—provide a health service to patients in need and conduct translational research to make improvements in medicine, helping those same patients”, Says Shweta. Her dedication to research helped her win the Goldwater Scholarship. Patel is the daughter of Naran and Kusum Patel of Forestdale.

Goldwater scholarships cover eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books and room and board, up $7,500 annually. Congress established the Goldwater program in 1986 in tribute to the retired U.S. senator from Arizona and to ensure a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Goldwater scholars have impressive academic qualifications that have garnered the attention of prestigious postgraduate fellowship programs, including 73 Rhodes scholarships, 105 Marshall scholarships, 90 Churchill scholarships and numerous other distinguished fellowships. Only sophomore- and junior-level students with outstanding academic records, significant research experience and high potential for careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering were eligible for nomination. Nominees submitted applications that included essays related to the nominee’s career and faculty recommendations.

“I was first interested in research during my high school years. I did a summer research program called ChemTeach that exposed me to the idea of research as a career. Subsequently, I worked in various labs during high school and college. First I did research at UAB’s Chemistry Department with Dr. Sadanandan Velu, working on an antibacterial drug development project and successfully synthesized a compound with antibacterial properties. Once my part of the project was finished, a colleague in the lab did the crystallography of the compounds I had synthesized and separated. As a co-author, this work was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Chemical Crystallography when I was a freshman in college. I could not believe that the work I did as a junior in High School had my name on it as a freshman in college. The reason research is so important to me is because I know that every little finding leads to someone else’s finding that can lead to a major discovery that can help hundreds of people all at once. As a doctor, I know the impact I will be able to have on every patient. However, when combining these two career paths, I will be able to make an even larger contribution to the community.

As I transitioned from high school to college, I was still looking for the right type of research, the type of research that could excite me every day, not just for a few months. That excitement came in the summer of 2008 when I participated in the summer in Biomedical Sciences (SIBS) undergraduate research program in Dr. Majd Zayzafoon’s lab at UAB. I was working on osteoblast research, a project that had the potential to influence drug discovery and help patients with bone diseases like osteoporosis. Here, I realized I wanted to do translational research. Therefore, I am currently working in Dr. Trygve Tollefsbol’s Cancer and Aging lab in the Biology Department. Specifically, I study the effects of bioactive dietary components, like green tea polyphenols and sulforaphane (compound found in vegetables like broccoli), on breast cancer cells. This study can lead to improved techniques in breast cancer treatment as well as chemoprevention.

As a result of all my experiences in research, I was a competitive applicant for the Goldwater Scholarship. Even though winning this prestigious scholarship was joyous, the journey leading me to that point was long and full of craters. Gratefully, I had people who threw me a rope to pull me out of the hole and energized me to cross the finish line. I first learned of the scholarship as a freshman from my Biology advisor Nate Wade. He concluded immediately that I was interested in research, and referred me to Dr. Nelleke Bak, national scholarships’ advisor. I worked closely with Dr. Bak my sophomore year to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship. I was selected by UAB to apply at the national level; however, I did not win the award. I was disappointed. I felt like I let everyone down, my friends, family, and advisors, as if I did not represent UAB well. Luckily, I could try again. Junior year, I went through the same process. I made my application more competitive with the addition of another summer program, the Amgen Scholars Program at UC Berkeley, and a stronger research proposal. Also, I am convinced that my letters of recommendation played an important role. This time I was elated. I made my round of phone calls to let my parents, my brothers, and my friends know. Suddenly, I was on UAB’s main website with my fellow winners. I got congratulatory emails from people I had not seen for a long time, and I had strangers congratulate me, too.

After winning the Goldwater, many people ask, “What’s next?” Now I am finishing up research and concentrating on applying to medical school. Most seniors try to take an easy load in their last year; I guess I plan on continuing my acceleration…slowing down might become dull.”

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