Celebrating Dedication to Diversity in Science and Engineering
Award Winner:Mohammed Abdelwahab, Senior (Physiology)
Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgi, a Nobel Laureate, once said, "Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen but understanding it for the first time." Advances in medicine have indeed been dramatic over the past fifty years and we are now reaping the rewards of research in our daily practice. In such a fast paced field, one factor of medicine has remained constant, future advances in medicine and improvement in patient care will depend on research advances in molecular and clinical medicine that take place today. And such advances will only target the maladies of the minority community if the workforces concentrating on these problems come from diverse and cultural backgrounds. My interest in science and medicine date back to my latter years of high school, a very important summer program spawned my initial interest: the National Institute of Health’s/ Science Education Partnership Award’s (SEPA) Medical Student Research Program at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine provoked me to ask the unanswerable and I have been doing so ever since. Introducing me to the art of questioning, I learned that questions are just as likely to be answered in both the examination room and in a laboratory meeting. I found it fascinating how scientific truths are so ephemeral, all it takes to completely capsize what we hold as facts is nothing more than a reproducible observation, however, discovering that reproducible observation will be the most challenging obstacle one will face. My experience in the Lymphology Laboratory made one thing very clear: I can handle that challenge. Clinical laboratory work was valuable because with every experience I have been able to discover my strengths and weakness, but also mold my interest. Research can be one of the most frustrating endeavors if not fueled by the desire to overcome the many obstacles. The most difficult question that I have ever had to tackle happens to be one of the most complex branches of science-medicine, Neuroscience. It only makes sense for the system that sets humans apart by providing the highest intellectual capacity from all other species also holds the basis for understanding the medical challenges that have perplexed humanity. Neuroscience researchers are more susceptible to difficulty because so much of the scientific process is about answering the right questions and controlling the right conditions. At the Arizona Research Labs Division of Neurobiology, the Tolbert Lab is interested in tackling the intricacies of intercellular interactions in the developing nervous system. A classical method of experimentation is the removal of a part from the whole to identify the part’s function. I seek to understand how olfactory receptor axons sort into odor-specific glomerulus in the antennal lobe of the hawk moth, Manduca Sexta model organism. To maintain the discrete seating arrangement of axons, a glia-rich "sorting zone" at the base of the antennal nerve is necessary in development. With the use of Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAM) such as the fasciclin II invertebrate form, as well as irradiation techniques that directly halt the growth of the sorting zone glial cells in the appropriate metamorphic stage, we are able to further understand neuron-glia interactions. My work in the Tolbert lab has exposed me to basic techniques, more importantly through attending biweekly meetings and interacting with faculty and staff, I have been exposed to valuable lessons in the methodological and analytical thinking that scientists practice everyday in the laboratory. A career in medical research is not only promising, it offers a lifelong challenge in learning and caring for our fellow human beings. Advances in neuroscience have permeated through many areas of science-medicine including new drugs, brain development, new methods of molecular biology, genetics, and necrosis. All these three advances have many clinical applications and suggest many new treatments and therapies that can positively affect even the most unfortunate and poor in both local and global communities, including one of the poorest countries in the world, my homeland, Sudan. The medical society needs to design not only management strategies but also methods to prevent these diseases; I clearly recollect the suffering taking place in Sudan, suffering that can be treated if more clinical research is done. I have been the recipient of a number of scholarships and awards and have held several leadership positions that demonstrate longevity and persistence, including Treasurer of the African Americans in Life Sciences club and MESA (Mathematics Engineering Sciences Association), as well as the President of APEX (Academic Preparation for Excellence). Currently, as a Collaboration to Advance Teaching Technology and Science (CATTS) fellow I am serving greater Tucson community by providing innovative teaching methods and experiential learning projects in conjunction with the National Science Foundation GK-12 Science Teaching initiative. Working with the Dr. Nadja Anderson in BIOTECH Project to provide technical support for Arizona teachers to conduct molecular genetics (DNA science) experiments with their students. I have visited schools all over the city facilitating various experiments, but most importantly instilling in students the love of science and the possibilities that science can provide if they push themselves in pursuing science on the collegiate level.