Student research honored

Two recent graduates who majored in medical technology and who have helped conduct cancer research at UD were among 34 students nationwide to receive scholarships recognizing their high levels of achievement.

Claire Zelinskas and Apoorva Srivastava, both CHS ’05, were awarded Dade Behring-Emil Behring scholarships for $2,500 each. The scholarships were created by Dade Behring, the world’s largest company dedicated solely to clinical diagnostics, to help further the education of the most qualified students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in medical technology. Zelinskas and Srivastava were selected from among 200 U.S. applicants.

Both students have conducted undergraduate research with Mary Ann McLane, associate professor of medical technology. Her work investigates how cancer metastasizes, or spreads, and specifically focuses on a naturally occurring protein called eristostatin, which is found in snake venom and which has been shown to inhibit the spread of tumors in mice.

Zelinskas plans to attend medical school next year at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. For two summers at UD, she has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Scholar, a program that supports undergraduate researchers.

Srivastava also has been an HHMI Scholar. He plans to work as a medical technologist at Christiana Care Health System for a few years and then attend medical school.