This summer, more than 80 students and faculty kept campus abuzz with the hum of hands-on field and lab research. The Seaver Summer Research Community’s work covered topics in biology, health and human sciences, mechanical engineering, computer science and more disciplines across the college. With such a diversity of research projects to choose from, we spoke to some of the students about their unique summer experience. Today, we spotlight biochemistry major Kyra DuBois ’25, who worked under the mentorship of professor Stephen Heller.
Describe your research in a way that a high school student would understand it.
I do research in the field of organic chemistry. What I am essentially doing is working on fine-tuning a kind of method for a particular kind of reaction. In organic chemistry, there are groups called protecting groups which are chemical groups put on a part of a chemical to ensure that it doesn’t react. This helps control the reaction taking place and ensure that it occurs in the desired place. There are different kinds of protection groups, each with its own pros and cons. I’m working on the removal of one of these kinds of protecting groups and trying to fine-tune the reaction so that fewer materials are used and that the process is overall more efficient and cost-effective.
Why would someone outside your field be interested in your project?
Fine-tuning these kinds of processes allows for more efficient research to be done in the future. This can include the synthesis of drugs and their analogs that could potentially help to treat a wide variety of diseases. My professor likes to say that organic chemistry is a lot like building a house. You have a whole toolbox of different kinds of tools for different kinds of things. In this case, the kinds of reactions that someone can perform serve as the tools that we can use. By expanding the tools that we have available, more efficient ways to synthesize medicines can be created.
What are some of the lessons students learn while working on research?
I think the greatest thing I learned is how to organize my work and how to be efficient and trust my own judgment. Research is a place where mistakes can be made and learned from. For people who are considering a career in research, this is a very low-stakes environment to try your hand at different fields. I’ve learned the fundamentals of organic chemistry research, while also learning how to make decisions for myself within this field as well.
How does doing research complement coursework?
I think that the research that I perform directly relates to the coursework that was taught in my sophomore year. As a biochemistry major, we are required to take organic chemistry and the work that I do in this lab builds off of what we have learned in lecture, and the techniques learned in the labs.
What advice would you give to someone on the fence about doing research?
I think even if you’re on the fence you should 100% do it. It’s such a great opportunity to learn and try your hand in a new field. It also helps to build connections with faculty and peers as well. I met some of my best friends in my lab, and it’s been such a fruitful experience.
Will your work this summer lead to any foreseeable outcomes (i.e. publications, presentations, poster sessions, patent applications, etc.)?
This is the goal for next year
Do you plan to continue your project in the future? If so, when?
I plan to continue to work on my project in the upcoming school year and hope to publish an article on this work as well.
