![Volume 1, Issue 6 Page 3
Summer High School Research Program Highlights
Nathan Ahlgrim is a recent stem cells (CSC’s). Nathan ex- Until he could “witness firsthand
graduate of York High School in plains, “This type of cancer cells are the work that goes into the fight
Elmhurst, IL. After hearing about thought to be the cause of a re- against cancer, I never really realized
this program from his math lapse, since they are more resilient just how passionate so many people
teacher, Nathan joined ACS last than ’normal’ cancer cells, and are about it.”
summer for the opportunity of were the target for a new pharma-
Nathan plans to attend UNC-
working at Loyola Medical Center ceutical that was being tested in her
Chapel Hill in the fall where he
under the “incredible team includ- lab.”
plans to major in Biology with mi-
ing Dr. Kimberly Foreman and
Nathan “gives tons of credit to the nors in Spanish and Cognitive Stud-
(then a grad student) Dr. Peter
American Cancer Society for set- ies. Outside of the lab, he looks to
Grudzien. Dr. Foreman has been
ting [him] up with the opportunity join the Club Tennis team, the Jazz
working on the role that Notch
to experiment and find the best fit” Ensemble, and Aikido club.
signaling plays in breast cancer
for his current and future plans.
Sara Kochanny, a recent calcifications are detectable by a tions, and inserted these into the
graduate of Whitney M. Young number of screening methods, mak- artificial tissue. For Sara, “the
Magnet High School in Chi- ing them useful indicators of breast ACS summer program was one
lesions.” Since the leading method of the coolest things I've ever
cago worked under Dr. Devku-
of breast cancer detection, x-ray gotten to do. A 17 year old work-
mar Mustafi at the University of
mammography, has a high rate of ing with MRI machines and get-
Chicago in the summer of 2009.
false positive and false negatives, Dr. ting to participate in actual medi-
Sara investigated the possible use
Mustafi’s lab investigated MRI as a cal research? Its awesome. That
of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
new tool. This lab correctly hy-
(MRI) as an early detection kind of opportunity is a once in
pothesized that MRI would be able
method for breast cancer. Sara a lifetime kinda deal.”
to differentiate between calcifica-
describes, “when lesions grow in
tions which are associated with ei- In the fall, Sara will be attending
the breast, tiny calcium deposits,
ther malignant or benign lesions. New York University in the city of
called microcalcifications, build
Sara contributed by making artificial New York, NY where she is plan-
up in the ducts and lobules. These
breast tissue and artificial calcifica- ning on majoring in Biology.
Congratulations Mayank Kumar: First Annual Award for Student Research Alumni
University Chicago’s Stritch School entation of his findings at Digestive
of Medicine where he and Dr. Disease Week 2009 in Chicago.
Qiao researched a vaccine against
Outside of the lab, Mayank partici-
colon cancer. For Mayank, this
pated in Relay for Life, served as a
“experience truly pushed me more
triage volunteer at community
into the medical arena… There is
Health, and participated in UIC’s
so much potential for science and
Colleges Against Cancer. Mayank
the outcome is truly amazing.”
is also a past interviewer in 2010
AT UIC, Mayank continued his for the incoming class of High
research with Dr. Richard Benya. School researchers, and has spo-
Together, they investigated the ken as a past participant at various Tyharrie Hill
relationship between gastrin- events such as the 2010 Quality Health Initiatives Research Manager
American Cancer Society
releasing peptide and its receptor Review Meeting, 2008 Recogni-
Mayank Kumar recently Illinois Division, Inc.
and colon cancer differentiation, as tion Dinner, and 2007 Annual 225 N. Michigan Ave.
graduated from the University of
well as vitamin D’s relationship Volunteer Conference. Chicago, IL 60601
Illinois at Chicago with a major
with colon cancer. Mayank co-
in Neuroscience. In the summer Mayank will return to UIC fall for Phone: 312-279-7392
authored a journal article about
of 2005, Mayank worked in Dr. medical school through the GPPA Fax: 312-641-6588
this research and attended the pres-
Liang Qiao’s laboratory at Loyola guaranteed medical program. E-mail: tyharrie.hill@cancer.org](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/julynewsletter-issue6-100729100508-phpapp02/85/July-newsletter-issue-6-3-320.jpg)
July newsletter issue 6
- 1. THE BUZZ E-news for the Summer High School Research Program Alumni Volume 1, Issue 6 July 2010 Come to your Alumni Event! On August 6th, please join us for a “jaw dropping, eye popping, heart stop- Black Women’s ping, and breathtakingly beautiful” Expo 2010 Cirque Shanghai performance at Navy August 7-8 McCormick Pier. We will meet at the ACS-IL office Place, Chicago, IL at 12 p.m. for lunch. Check out the event on Facebook at : http://www.facebook.com/home.php? #!/event.php?eid=103964902990370 Please get in touch with Tyharrie to RSVP. We would love to see you there! Welcome, Class of 2010! We are pleased to welcome the Class of 2010 to the Summer High School Research Program. These 28 students have been selected from high schools throughout Illinois. If you are seeking cultural enlightenment, spiritual em- Cyatharine Alias/ Niles North High School Evelyn Nunez/ Walter Payton High School powerment and sheer enter- Noelle Bradley/ St. Ignatius College Preparatory Kanchan Parkash/ Von Steuben Science Center tainment, come to the Black Jazmin Branch/ Morgan Park High School Neel Patel/ Northside College Preparatory Women’s Expo! This two- Jesse Clifton/ Oakland High School Sherin Randall-London/ Michelle Clark Magnet HS day expo is an interactive, educational, and informative Bridget Collins/ Rolling Meadows High School Alexandra Rojek/ Northside College Preparatory exposition for the benefit of Daniel Dallas/ De LaSalle Institute Eriberta Sanchez/ ACE Technical Charter HS the African American com- Dylan Despot/ Waubonsie Valley High School Chumin Situ/ Jones College Preparatory munity. Jessica Enriquez/ Jones College Preparatory Luke Stegmann/ Trico Senior High School Monica Hernandez/ Golder College Preparatory Jeanette Stoller/ Eureka High School If you are interested in Brittany Hughes/ Lane Technical High School Sherry Tseng/ Naperville North High School volunteering, Michael Korte/ Glenwood High School Jin Yan/ Adlai Stevenson High School please contact Jennifer Margono/ Palatine High School May Yang/ Libertyville High School Nomathemba Pressley Melinda Martin/Dunlap High School Li Zhang/ Lyons Township High School Npressle@cancer.org Mary Mussman/ Northside College Preparatory As always, we’d like to thank the mentors at our partnering institutions: Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, Loyola University Chicago, Southern Illinois, University-Springfield, University of Illinois at Peoria, Rush University Medical Center and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- 2. Volume 1, Issue 6 Page 2 Melanoma: What you do NOW affects your Melanoma is the most common cancer in young adults aged 25-29 risk of developing skin cancer LATER! Each year, more than 1 million Americans are diag- increases a person’s risk of getting melanoma. nosed with skin cancer, the most common form of 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin Who can get melanoma? cancer. Of these, about 60,000 people will be diag- cancer in their lifetime. Don’t be a Everyone of every skin color is at risk of getting nosed with melanoma, the most dangerous type of statistic! Protect your skin! melanoma. The risk is higher in places where skin cancer. Melanoma can appear in the skin with- there is intense, year-round sunshine. As with Help ACS Fight Skin Cancer! out warning and can spread easily to other parts of the most other cancers, the chance of developing body. Despite its danger, most melanomas can be ACS, in conjunction with the melanoma increases as a person gets older. Peo- found early and treated successfully! American Academy of ple who have the highest risk of melanoma have What is Melanoma? many moles, irregular or large moles, or have Dermatology, has created a toolkit Melanoma is a cancer that begins in melanocytes— the close blood relatives who have had melanoma. for students to use to educate their cells that produce the skin coloring or protective pig- When melanoma develops in people whose un- peers on the dangers of tanning and ment called melanin. Melanin helps protect the tanned skin color is brown, it most often starts on the early detection of skin deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the palms, soles of the feet, and under the nails. cancer. Contact us to get your the sun. When exposed to sunlight, the melanin in “Tanning: The Real Truth” toolkit Remember your ABCD’s your skin increases, and your skin darkens. This is and help organize fun and Use the ABCD rule as a reminder to check your- why many melanoma cancers have mixed shades of educational activities on campus to self for new or changing skin growths once a tan, brown, blue, or black. promote sun safety and fight skin month. What causes Melanoma? A (Asymmetry): One half of the spot does not cancer. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation that comes from sunlight match the other half Contact Tyharrie Hill or tanning booths can damage DNA. Some of this B (Border Irregularity) Normal moles are around (312)-279-7382 or exposure and cell damage may have happened within or oval in shape. The borders of a melanoma may tyharrie.hill@cancer.org for more a few years of the start of the cancer, but much of the be uneven. information. damage may be due to exposures that happen many C (Color): Common moles are usually one color years earlier. Children and young adults often get a throughout. Melanomas may have several colors or lot of intense sun exposure that may not lead to can- an irregular pattern of colors. cer for many years. DNA changes can cause the cells D (Diameter): Melanomas may be 1/8 to 1/4 inch Summer Sun Safety Tips: of a mole to change into melanoma cells, but it is still across but are often larger. not known why having many moles or unusual moles ● Slip on a shirt! Choose shirts and pants to protect as much skin as possible. ● Slop on sunscreen! Choose a Childhood Obesity Research sunscreen with a sun protec- tion factor (SPF) of at least The prevalence of obesity The America Cancer Society is quickly getting 15. among children ages 6 to involved in researching childhood obesity due to ● Slap on a hat! Choose a hat 11 (in elementary school) its link to cancer. Only about half of Americans that shades the face, neck, and has risen from 4 percent in realize that carrying excess body fat places them ears the late 1970’s to nearly 20 at significantly high risk for several cancers. A percent in 2007-2008. healthy diet can not only help sustain a healthy ● Wrap on sunglasses! Protect This dramatic increase in wait, but can lower the risk of many cancers. your eyes from UV rays obesity prevalence is clearly associated with un- Higher BMI and lower physical activity are associ- ● Limit sun exposure. Stay out healthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. ated with a reduced risk of breast and colon of the sun between 10 a.m Because children spend a significant portion of cancer survival. and 4 p.m. when the UV rays their time in school, many researchers, health- are the strongest. advocates and policy-makers at all levels of govern- ment are pushing for changes that will make the school environment healthier for students. Some Stay of these changes include implementing guidelines Healthy! for food and beverages sold or served outside of Follow school meal programs, setting goals for nutrition your education and physical activity, and assuring that Food reimbursable school plans meet the minimum Pyramid! federal school meal standards.
- 3. Volume 1, Issue 6 Page 3 Summer High School Research Program Highlights Nathan Ahlgrim is a recent stem cells (CSC’s). Nathan ex- Until he could “witness firsthand graduate of York High School in plains, “This type of cancer cells are the work that goes into the fight Elmhurst, IL. After hearing about thought to be the cause of a re- against cancer, I never really realized this program from his math lapse, since they are more resilient just how passionate so many people teacher, Nathan joined ACS last than ’normal’ cancer cells, and are about it.” summer for the opportunity of were the target for a new pharma- Nathan plans to attend UNC- working at Loyola Medical Center ceutical that was being tested in her Chapel Hill in the fall where he under the “incredible team includ- lab.” plans to major in Biology with mi- ing Dr. Kimberly Foreman and Nathan “gives tons of credit to the nors in Spanish and Cognitive Stud- (then a grad student) Dr. Peter American Cancer Society for set- ies. Outside of the lab, he looks to Grudzien. Dr. Foreman has been ting [him] up with the opportunity join the Club Tennis team, the Jazz working on the role that Notch to experiment and find the best fit” Ensemble, and Aikido club. signaling plays in breast cancer for his current and future plans. Sara Kochanny, a recent calcifications are detectable by a tions, and inserted these into the graduate of Whitney M. Young number of screening methods, mak- artificial tissue. For Sara, “the Magnet High School in Chi- ing them useful indicators of breast ACS summer program was one lesions.” Since the leading method of the coolest things I've ever cago worked under Dr. Devku- of breast cancer detection, x-ray gotten to do. A 17 year old work- mar Mustafi at the University of mammography, has a high rate of ing with MRI machines and get- Chicago in the summer of 2009. false positive and false negatives, Dr. ting to participate in actual medi- Sara investigated the possible use Mustafi’s lab investigated MRI as a cal research? Its awesome. That of Magnetic Resonance Imaging new tool. This lab correctly hy- (MRI) as an early detection kind of opportunity is a once in pothesized that MRI would be able method for breast cancer. Sara a lifetime kinda deal.” to differentiate between calcifica- describes, “when lesions grow in tions which are associated with ei- In the fall, Sara will be attending the breast, tiny calcium deposits, ther malignant or benign lesions. New York University in the city of called microcalcifications, build Sara contributed by making artificial New York, NY where she is plan- up in the ducts and lobules. These breast tissue and artificial calcifica- ning on majoring in Biology. Congratulations Mayank Kumar: First Annual Award for Student Research Alumni University Chicago’s Stritch School entation of his findings at Digestive of Medicine where he and Dr. Disease Week 2009 in Chicago. Qiao researched a vaccine against Outside of the lab, Mayank partici- colon cancer. For Mayank, this pated in Relay for Life, served as a “experience truly pushed me more triage volunteer at community into the medical arena… There is Health, and participated in UIC’s so much potential for science and Colleges Against Cancer. Mayank the outcome is truly amazing.” is also a past interviewer in 2010 AT UIC, Mayank continued his for the incoming class of High research with Dr. Richard Benya. School researchers, and has spo- Together, they investigated the ken as a past participant at various Tyharrie Hill relationship between gastrin- events such as the 2010 Quality Health Initiatives Research Manager American Cancer Society releasing peptide and its receptor Review Meeting, 2008 Recogni- Mayank Kumar recently Illinois Division, Inc. and colon cancer differentiation, as tion Dinner, and 2007 Annual 225 N. Michigan Ave. graduated from the University of well as vitamin D’s relationship Volunteer Conference. Chicago, IL 60601 Illinois at Chicago with a major with colon cancer. Mayank co- in Neuroscience. In the summer Mayank will return to UIC fall for Phone: 312-279-7392 authored a journal article about of 2005, Mayank worked in Dr. medical school through the GPPA Fax: 312-641-6588 this research and attended the pres- Liang Qiao’s laboratory at Loyola guaranteed medical program. E-mail: tyharrie.hill@cancer.org