Dr. Barbara Hughes (third from l) presents the first annual Barbara A. Hughes Award of Excellence to (from l) Jeanne Seeberger, Lauren Wilson and Hakeenah Brown.

The National Institute on Aging recently showcased the work of talented high school, undergraduate and graduate students during its 14th annual NIA Summer Program Poster Day at the Gerontology Research Center in Baltimore. The session, which featured a research competition among an ethnically diverse group of 48 students, was notable this year, too, in honoring Dr. Barbara A. Hughes, former director of the NIA Office of Minority Recruitment and Human Relations.

Hughes, who held a variety of positions at NIA from 1975 until her retirement in 1997, was recognized for her dedication to career development and minority outreach. She attended the session and shared her thoughts about opening up the research endeavor
to a wider audience.

	Georgetown University sophomore Raluca T. Tavaluc (r) and poster competition judge Dr. Poloko Leotlela of the Laboratory of Immunology discuss Tavaluc's poster on "Reduction in the Beneficial Effects of Caloric Restriction on DMBA-Induced Skin Tumors in Nrf2 Knockout Mice."

During her tenure at NIA she often thought of Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision that all people, especially youngsters, should be given an opportunity to reach their potential. She believes that giving students an opportunity to work with mentors will enhance their potential to be outstanding future scientists. Hughes also said that NIA outreach efforts have enhanced the diversity of future scientists.

Arlene Jackson, NIA’s current intramural recruitment specialist and a protégé of Hughes, was gratified that her mentor was able to be a part of the first annual Award of Excellence named in her honor. The award, Jackson noted, is a fitting tribute to Hughes’ legacy in touching so many students’ lives. “Young researchers need a place that they find motivating and where they can do meaningful work,” said Hughes. “The NIA Summer Program allows students to explore, make mistakes and gives them exposure to things other students in more fortunate circumstances may already have.”

The Summer Program encourages students and mentors to work together to produce solid scientific research in the diverse field of aging. Students’ posters were based on topics ranging from research in genetics to discoveries in neurobiology.

	Gunnar Kwakye (r), a 2006 University of Maryland-Eastern Shore graduate, shows his poster "The Effects of Ketogenic Diet on Gliogenosis Following Neuronal Injury" to poster judge Dr. Robert Brosh, Jr., of the Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology.

NIA director Dr. Richard Hodes spent time with the students and reviewed posters. “The students were remarkable in their ability to present their work and to discuss its significance, a tribute to their own abilities and motivation and a reflection of their mentoring experience in NIA’s summer program,” he said. “The Poster Day encourages students to generate new ideas and novel approaches, fosters collaboration and places them in an environment that is supportive of their talents.”

Among them was Shafaq Jameel, a senior at the University of Massachusetts and veteran of the Iraq War, and Daniel Camacho, a senior Minority Access to Research Careers student at the University of Arizona. Both said they felt their time at the program was worthwhile. Jameel’s research poster, titled “Gamma Secretase Inhibits Tissue Repair in Mice,” demonstrated that wound-healing was delayed by impaired notch signaling through her studies on mice. “The techniques I learned in lab environments here helped me convey my ideas more clearly and taught me how to critically analyze information and others’ research more carefully,” she noted. Her hope is that this type of research will help identify a drug that speeds up healing.

Camacho, whose poster on “The Characterization of a Panel of Cell Surface Receptors on the P815 Mouse Mastocytoma Cell Line,” discussed ways to alleviate some of the disabling symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. He found inspiration for his research based on spending time with older people at home in Arizona. “As scientific researchers, our job is to attack medical problems we see affecting the people in our lives. But before we can do that we must spend quality time getting our Ph.D.s and/or our M.D.s. This program will help us do that.” Camacho hopes to apply to a graduate program in California.

Poster day winners were: Hakeenah F. Brown, a 2006 graduate of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, mentored by Drs. Ashani Weeraratna and Poloko Leotlela of the Laboratory of Immunology; Jeanne Seeberger, a 2006 graduate of Washington College, mentored by Dr. Sige Zou of the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology; and Lauren Wilson, mentored by Drs. Dongyi Xu and Weidong Wang of the Laboratory of Genetics.

Wilson, a senior at Hamilton College in New York, presented a poster titled “Genetic Analysis of a New Component of the Fanconi Anemia Core Complex, Hip, in Chicken DT40 Cells.” She noted, “My success has definitely given me some momentum to continue with my career and certainly helped solidify my interests.” She plans a career in either epidemiology or public health.

In presenting the awards, Dr. Michele Evans, deputy scientific director, noted, “This program is about encouraging all students of all backgrounds and scientific interests to develop their talents. They come away respecting themselves, each other, and their discipline and also perform outstanding science, contributing usable results.”