Stevens 2002 grad, Janet O. Lee, selected for six-week research tour at Biodiversity Lab in Caribbean

A 2002 graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, Janet O. Lee, has been selected for a six-week tour of research at the Cornell University Biodiversity Lab in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Ms. Lee will participate in the gathering and analysis of unique marine and soil-based microbials and tropical life forms, seeking biochemical clues to possible new pharmaceutical applications.

Lee applied to participate in the project through Stevens professor Athula Attygalle, who directs the Biodiversity program in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Attygalle spent 12 years on the faculty at Cornell, where he collaborated with Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, the director of the Punta Cana Biodiversity Lab.

During her "Explorations in Biodiversity" sojourn, from early June through mid July, Lee will work with 20 students from several institutions, including the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan and Cornell Medical School. For those students selected, the program covers travel, food, and lodging and provides a stipend.

The program offers an opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in research related to intricate biological and chemical interactions that occur among diverse organisms in the Caribbean. The program focus is on the potential wealth of biomedicines that could be derived from plants, animals and microbes of the region.

Lee won her spot in the program by filling a formal application and submitting a 1,200-word personal statement of interest.

"As a graduating senior, I knew I would love to be able to participate in this program," said Lee.

"Before pursuing a master's in biochemistry or biological science, I plan to work for at least one year as an intern or research assistant in a pharmaceutical company. My experience in the Biodiversity program will give me a firm foundation for contributing to the future health and wealth of the earth and its inhabitants."

Through participation in the research program, students learn about a wide range of topics related to biodiversity studies, including chemical ecology, biosystematics, conservation, natural products chemistry, biomedicines, ethnobiology, biochemistry and molecular medicine.

Each student participant will contribute through material and data collection to ongoing field and biochemical laboratory research. In addition, each participant will develop an individual research project related to biodiversity. The project will involve the collection of field and biochemical laboratory data, oral presentations, and preparation of a formal report.

The Cornell University Biodiversity Lab at Punta Cana is a collaboration among Cornell, the Grupo Punta Cana and the Ecological Foundation of the Punta Cana Beach Resort. The lab is located on land donated by tourism developer Theodore W. Kheel. His acquaintance with Dr. Rodriguez and his sense that research needed to be done to offset the effects of rapid development led Kheel to set aside prime acreage of the Punta Cana Resort for the study of the rich ecosystem of the Dominican Republic.

Through Dr. Attygalle and his work, Stevens looks forward to continuing a rewarding relationship with the Biodiversity Lab and its associate institutions.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University, is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,234 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with more than 400 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.

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