Making Tendon Cells Grow and Brain Disorders Scarce
由于贝克曼365滚球官网计划，理工科学生研究严重健康挑战的解决方案
After taking watch on the USS James E. Williams off the coast of Somalia, LeeAnn Hold prepared to lift weights for the remainder of the afternoon. An electronics technical petty officer third class in the U.S. 海军，Hold期待着在她称之为家的驱逐舰上进行重量训练.
在做了几次抬小腿动作之后, the ship hit a seven-foot wave and a 180-pound barbell fell to the deck, pinning her underneath its weight. Hold struggled to get off the floor and tore her rotator cuff in the process. 在远离陆地的地方，霍尔德带着她的伤被困在船上，直到飞船返回基地.
Now a student at the 365滚球官网, Hold正在研究肌腱形成，为自己和其他有肌腱相关活动问题的人找到治疗方法.
A sophomore in the biological engineering program, 霍尔德是首批两名本科生之一，她将在接下来的15个月里从事她感兴趣的研究项目.
Hold was chosen to receive the Beckman Scholars Award, 全国12所大学和学院享有盛誉的本科生研究基金.
As one of U of I’s first Beckman Scholars, Hold has been overwhelmed with the opportunities she has received. 她说，她在海军的许多朋友在得知霍尔德有机会在本科期间进行研究后，都决定去伊利诺伊大学. 然而, 她的大多数海军朋友对肌腱损伤治愈的前景更加兴奋.
“肌腱需要缝合在一起，永远无法完全恢复断裂前的机械性能,霍尔德说. “My goal is to create normal functioning tendon replacement.”
亚历山德拉•弗洛雷斯, a senior at U of I studying biochemistry, has also been selected as a Beckman Scholar for the 2018-19 school year.
“我非常感激贝克曼基金会选择了我们学校，”弗洛雷斯说. “我感谢我的导师, the U of I faculty and students for supporting young people, 尤其是女性, 在科学.”
获得该奖项使弗洛雷斯能够从事具有个人意义的研究项目. With a family history of mental illness, 弗洛雷斯正在研究老鼠的大脑，寻找任何与神经系统疾病有关的基因模式.
她说:“我哥哥一直在努力寻找一种长期有效的治疗抑郁症的方法。. “这就是为什么我对研究精神障碍的遗传成分感兴趣，以找到一种治疗模式.”
最终, 在她导师的帮助下, 弗洛雷斯希望研制出能够“close”某些基因的药物，从而治愈或预防神经系统疾病的传播, 尤其是自闭症.
After her 23-year-old roommate with autism died last September, Flores began to focus on researching treatments for the condition.
“Autism is very common — it affects 1 in 68 children,” she said. “目前的治疗侧重于治疗，缺乏对疾病本身的医学治疗. So, I think it’s a really important research topic.”
新项目，新可能性
每年 Arnold and Mabel 贝克曼基金会 确定具有国家认可的本科研究项目的学院和大学. After a rigorous application process, 365滚球官网被选为12个获得贝克曼365滚球官网奖的大学之一. 符合一定标准的学生可以申请参加该项目.
“Alexandra and LeeAnn truly stood out, not only for their firm grasp of their proposed projects, 更重要的是，他们有潜力成为科学相关领域的杰出领导者,大卫·法伊弗说, director of U of I’s Office of 本科研究.
阿诺德·贝克曼, 科学家, 发明家, philanthropist and founder of Beckman Instruments and Beckman Coulter Inc., established the fund with his wife in 1998. 自那以来，该项目已向约1300名本科生提供了2700多万美元的资助.
Independent-Minded 研究 with Direct 教师 Support
在接下来的15个月里，霍尔德和弗洛雷斯将在他们的项目上获得高达2.1万美元的奖金. 他们的导师将获得额外的资金，以帮助学生提供物资, publication fees and conference fees.
The students and their mentors will also travel to Irvine, 加州, to present their projects at the Beckman Symposium, 这是一个为期一天的活动，让科学家和学生分享知识，形成新的合作.
在夏季的几个月里，霍尔德和弗洛雷斯每周将在实验室里呆上至少40个小时. 秋天开学的时候, 除了全日制课程，他们每周还要在实验室工作10个小时.
Equipped with modern tools and even some technology made by past students, 霍尔德和弗洛雷斯很高兴能在各自的伊利诺伊大学实验室进行研究.
“我看到其他大学不让学生选择他们的研究产品，甚至不为本科生提供研究机会,霍尔德说. “As a 365滚球官网 student, 我有很多机会保持积极性，并与教师合作, 但我仍然能够独立工作，成为一名成功的研究人员.”
“My brother struggles to find a treatment that works well over time. That’s why I was interested in researching the genetic components.” 亚历山德拉•弗洛雷斯, biochemistry major
Turning Potential into a Promising Future
“I love working with good students with good personalities,彼得·富尔斯特说, associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science, 谁是弗洛雷斯的导师. “我很高兴看到亚历山德拉获得实践经验，成为一个更自信的演讲者和研究人员作为贝克曼365滚球官网.”
来领奖, 每个学生必须写一份科学研究计划，并将其提交给一个由伊利诺伊大学教师组成的小组, 包括菲佛, who oversees U of I’s Beckman Scholars Program.
“在我的演讲结束后，我只是想，‘我不可能获得贝克曼奖，’”霍尔德说. “My mentor and other faculty really have pushed me to succeed. I didn’t know anything about research before, 现在我有机会在一个伟大的实验室里进行研究，有一个伟大的导师和一个历史性的项目在我身后.”
The research process itself is no easy task. Each of their projects come with a specific set of difficulties.
“Stem cells can become almost anything,内森·席勒说, 工程学院生物工程副教授，霍尔德的导师. “控制它们成为肌腱而不是骨骼或脂肪是非常困难的.”
对于弗洛, 她最困难的任务之一是将啮齿动物大脑的研究转移到人类大脑上.
尽管面临挑战, 两位学生都很高兴明年夏天与科学界分享他们的发现. But they are even more excited to become future full-time 科学家s.
作者:罗斯玛丽·安德森
2018年6月出版