RIC student Gian Patrice Bowling works side-by-side with faculty in newly renovated, state-of-the-art research and teaching facility.
Gian Patrice Bowling is one of the first RIC students to do scientific research in the newly renovated Clarke Science Building.
“It’s been amazing working in the new lab,” says the junior chemistry major. “I’ve heard stories about the old Clarke Science building, that it just wasn’t the optimal environment for science.”
The new facility is fully equipped with state-of-the-art research and teaching spaces. Among the research going on in this space is cancer research.
The cure for cancer has eluded scientists for centuries. In fact, the oldest known evidence of this disease dates back to 1.7 million years ago, found in a fossilized bone tumor in South Africa.
Today, scientists are still trying to end the disease. At Rhode Island College, undergraduates work side-by-side with faculty researchers in the labs of Clarke Science.
Bowling assisted in the lab of Professor of Biochemistry Jamie Towle-Weicksel this past spring and summer and is currently working in the lab of Professor of Organic Chemistry Elizabeth Kiesewetter.
“Dr. TW [Towle-Weicksel] works with very specific mutations of a cancer-related gene and the effect cancer therapy drugs have on that gene,” Bowling explains, “and Dr. K [Kisesewetter] is creating ways to conceal cancer therapy drugs so that when they enter the body, cancer cells won’t resist them.”
“Both kinds of research are important,” she says. “In the case of Dr. TW’s research, if we discover that a certain cancer therapy drug doesn’t work on a certain mutation, we can publish those findings and let the medical community know that a person who has this mutation shouldn’t take the drug because it doesn’t work on this mutation.”
Bowling has learned a lot from her lab experiences. “In the beginning,” she says, “my experiments in Dr. TW’s lab failed many times. As a scientist, you know that this is inevitable. You learn that failing is part of the experimentation process. It teaches you perseverance. When it fails, you just change variables and try again and hope it works the next time.
“Research isn’t for everybody,” she adds, “but I urge people not to be afraid to try it out. It’s a great opportunity that RIC offers, not only in chemistry, but in biology, psychology, physics and other areas of study. There are those who may think they’re not smart enough to do science research, but then you’re in it, doing it, and you realize you can do anything you put your mind to. For me, it’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of study, a lot of persevering.
“In the long run, I love doing this research because I want to be able to give back to society. I used to think that in order to save lives you had to work in a hospital. But now, I see that scientists save lives, too. They’re doing the research, synthesizing the drugs and creating vaccines that save lives. Just the possibility of saving lives gives me a great sense of fulfillment.”
Learn more about Chemistry B.A., B.S. at RIC.