Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/77272
Undergraduate Research Undergraduate research is a vibrant enterprise at Purdue, introducing students to the chal- lenges and opportunities of real-world discovery. Here, we highlight five undergraduates seek- ing to push the limits of knowledge by working alongside world-class researchers. Devon Ptak was first exposed to eye diseases while on a mission trip to Honduras in 2010. "Some of the patients permanently lost their vision because many eye diseases have no known cure, neuroscience major. Now, she has received a $1,500 award from Sigma Xi to study retinal dystrophy. "A better understanding of these disease mechanisms can lead to better treatments," she says. That would improve quality of life for countless people while alleviating financial burdens to societies around the world. " says Ptak, a behavioral SEAN 8 OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH Sean Kearney lightheart- edly named his biological discovery "MrGordo" after a stuffed pig in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer televi- sion show, but his accom- plishment is no laughing matter. As part of a course funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the agricultural and bio- logical engineering major unearthed a novel bacte- riophage from a Purdue flowerbed. Annotated with the National Institutes of Health's GenBank, the phage can be studied by scientists around the world. "The experience taught me to work methodically through problems," he says. How did psychology major Milad Alucozai become the youngest-ever Purdue chapter member in Sigma Xi, the international science and engi- neering society? He started in high school, winning research awards and working in Purdue labs. As a freshman, he took a first in the Purdue Re- search Symposium. Today, he's researching neurodegenerative diseases in the Purdue Center for Paralysis Research. "What got me in relates to my ability to juggle a rigorous course load, extracurricular activities and still have time to perform serious, meaningful research," he says. Photography: Rohini Sampoornam Swaminathan DEVON