When students study science at Oxford College, they don’t sit passively in a big lecture hall and take notes. Instead, they take to the lab, the woods, and the streams. They work alongside faculty who are experts in scientific discovery and learn about research firsthand. This collaboration benefits everyone. Oxford professors fulfill their missions of innovative science teaching and exploration, students learn to think like scientists, and new ideas emerge.
Few college sophomores have the opportunity to help conduct a cancer research study, but Oxford student Melody Rhine did just that. Under the direction of Oxford chemists Reza Saadein and Jack Eichler, she worked on a project aimed at developing anticancer drugs through the design of novel gold compounds. The study, which will involve other Oxford students over the next several years, could yield valuable information about how these metal-based systems help fight tumors.
The opportunity was part of the Summer Undergraduate Research at Emory program, funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and opened to Oxford students in 2007.
For Rhine, the experience of contributing to such a worthwhile project was life-changing: She’s chosen chemistry as her major, is headed for a doctorate, and plans a career in teaching and research.
Your support will build on Oxford College’s long-standing success in science education and research, creating new ideas and inspiring students to excellence.
