Research Builds Relationships and Knowledge

When Nashville, Tenn., native Will DeLoache set out to choose a college, he originally had his sights set on Stanford University, and then a medical school education. A research opportunity at Davidson College changed everything.

"I wasn't expecting to go to such a small school, but I really liked the environment there," says DeLoache. "I appreciate the smallness now. I think I had more opportunities than I would have had at a bigger school. I was lucky when I picked Davidson."

Experience Through Internships and Summer Research

After his freshman year as a pre-med major, DeLoache completed an internship at Vanderbilt University doing genetic research. A conversation with Dr. Malcolm Campbell, his biology professor at Davidson, helped DeLoache decide to focus on health sciences rather than medicine. Campbell encouraged him to apply to the Davidson Research Institute Summer Program, a highly selective fellowship opportunity for undergraduates. Through the program, students conduct intensive research in collaboration with faculty members and other students. Participating students are encouraged to present their work at regional or national meetings, and to submit it for publication in respected journals. To support undergraduate research opportunities like the Summer Program, The Duke Endowment gave a $3.6 million grant to Davidson College beginning in 2006.

During the program, DeLoache worked closely with Campbell and a team of students on a DNA-flipping mechanism. The team entered the project in the MIT International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition, an event that attracts experts in the biosynthetic community — many of whom come to see how upcoming generations of researchers are advancing the field.

DeLoache's team, which included students from Davidson and Missouri Western University, won the gold medal at the 2007 competition.

"We created something that other synthetic biologists around the world can reuse, and we documented it well enough that others can recreate it and build on what we've done," DeLoache says.

The team submitted data on the project for potential publication in the Journal of Biological Engineering. DeLoache also presented the findings, along with additional research he conducted, at the annual conference for the Institute for Bioengineering (IBE).

Valuable Exposure to Faculty and Field

DeLoache says the opportunity to work closely with Campbell on a significant research project as an undergraduate changed the direction of his academic experience — and his plans for the future. He switched majors from pre-med to bioengineering; and he'll begin graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

"I never would have had the exposure to the faculty and members of this field without being part of this research project through Davidson and attending iGEM," DeLoache says. "I was so lucky to be exposed to it all."