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Bennett, from Danville, Ind., cited her research project and career goals
as important factors in earning her the scholarship, which will pay
for tuition, books, and room and board for the 2004-2005 school year.
Her research found that the presence of niacin in the blood-like buffer
used in place of blood in these experiments maintains cardiac function
after a heart attack in a diabetic rat heart, whereas the absence of
niacin in the buffer resulted in significantly decreased cardiac function
following a heart attack.
“Based on these preliminary findings,” said
Bennett, “niacin (Vitamin B3), an inexpensive supplement,
could, after further research, be useful for people living
with diabetes to take as prophylaxis to prevent cardiac damage
in the incident of a heart attack.
“I think part of what makes my research
fairly unique and one reason I was selected to be a Goldwater
Scholar is that I was responsible for all aspects of the
project. Earlham, with its close faculty-student relationships
and flexibility, provided and trusted me with the responsibility
and opportunity to pursue this research in its entirety.
I felt that this really set my work apart from that of many
students and provided the motivation and incentive to produce
Goldwater-quality work.”
Nathan Trueblood, assistant professor of biology,
was the faculty mentor for Bennett’s research. Winning
the Goldwater Scholarship, Bennett said, was just as much
an award recognizing Trueblood and the entire biology department,
as it was recognition for her work.
Last fall, the research project also earned
Bennett the distinction of being named a Merck Scholar. Hers
was one of 25 undergraduate abstracts Merck selected for
presentation at the American Association for the Advancement
of Science annual meeting in Seattle earlier this year.
“This is the largest scientific gathering
in North America, and as a Merck Scholar, I had complete
access to all aspects of the meeting,” Bennett said. “It
was an amazing experience.”
The prestige the Goldwater award carries is
especially pleasing to Bennett.
“Earning the Goldwater provides me with
a wealth of possibilities to consider in the coming months,” she
said. “Many Goldwater Scholars go on to earn Rhodes
or Marshall Scholarships and tend to be accepted to prestigious
graduate programs.”
Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded
56 Rhodes Scholarships and 66 Marshall Awards. Bennett intends
to apply for both programs, and for a Fulbright Award, hoping
to study either Medical Anthropology or Integrated Immunology
at Oxford University. Other options include researching public
health in developing countries at the London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine or international health at Queen Margaret
College or Leeds University.
“As a career I am very interested in
international health, which biologically is tied closely
with infectious diseases,” Bennett said. “I am
pursuing a career that allows me to learn about the biological
mechanisms of infectious diseases and also to understand
the global patterns of disease and medical distribution,
which involves politics, economics, anthropology, and myriad
other fields.”
Her research experience fuels Bennett’s
desire to eventually become a professor.
“I have more strongly considered pursuing
a Ph.D. degree in some area of biology either in addition
to or in place of an M.D. degree,” she said.
Before graduation, however, the junior biology
major has a few other projects to complete. She is a member
of Earlham’s off-campus program based in Philadelphia
this semester working as an intern with the Aids Clinical
Trials Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. Funded by
the National Institutes of Health, the unit is one of 38
groups across the country that conducts and compiles data
for clinical trials in HIV/AIDS research.
“I am learning about the clinical trials
process by working in the office, seeing patients, and working
on the various projects,” Bennett said. “It has
opened my eyes to a lot of career paths that are less traditional
than saying generically that I want to be a doctor.”
This summer Bennett will be an International
Health intern in Thailand.
“I will be shadowing a doctor in semi-rural
Thailand and conducting some independent research while I’m
there.”
When she returns to Earlham in the fall, Bennett
expects to complete her research with diabetes and niacin
and publish it in a scientific journal.
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Contact:
Denise Purcell,
media relations assistant
765/983-1323
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