JoJo Holm, a fourth-year Chemistry student at Northwestern, took first place for oral presentation at the American Chemical Society’s 2024 Undergraduate Research in Polymer Science Symposium. The $500 award recognizes outstanding undergraduate students in polymer science and engineering. Holm, a Chemistry of Life Processes Institute Lambert Fellow, was one of hundreds of students who presented their research at the symposium this year.
Founded in 2010 and endowed in 2016, the Lambert Fellowship provides multi-year funding to undergraduate Chemistry majors for hands-on research in the laboratories of CLP professors. The generous stipend covers research materials and supplies as well as travel and academic conference fees.
Holm’s oral presentation at ACS provided an overview of the research she conducted in the lab of CLP member Nathan Gianneschi, the Jacob and Rosaline Cohn Professor of Chemistry.
“I work with proteomimetic polymers targeting a specific protein-protein interaction, between KEAP1 and NRF2,” says Holm. “These proteins govern oxidative stress which leads to inflammation and to a whole host of diseases from neurodegenerative disease to cancer, and other diseases regulated by this process.”
In addition to mentorship from CLP professors, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, the Lambert Fellowship also provides a wealth of opportunities for development, including science communications training, career development and entrepreneurship workshops.
“The Lambert Fellowship has been absolutely essential to my learning as a scientist. There’s really no other time that students get a chance to fully dive into their work like that,” says Holm. “During the school year I have such limited hours that it takes months to get done what would take me two weeks during the summer. Getting that chance to really plan things out and completely immerse myself in the scientific process was really beneficial.”
After graduation, Holms intends to take a gap year before attending medical school.
“I’m still applying to things, but I’m looking to do some sort of clinical work to get as close to patient care as possible such as scribe work, medical assistantships or internships that have a focus on medicine.”
Despite her busy schedule and future plans to earn her MD, Holm says she is attached to her research project and wants to see it through to completion.
“Honestly, I could have stopped doing this lab work quarters ago after fulfilling the requirements I needed,” says Holm, “but between my project itself and also the environment of my lab, this experience has been really phenomenal and I’m excited to see it through until I graduate.”
by Lisa La Vallee