For a team of Advanced Placement chemistry and biology students at Longmont High School, being SMART is a huge compliment. These 9 students are part of the SMART (Students Modeling a Research Topic) team that recently presented at the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s (ASBMB) conference in Boston, Massachusetts.
Chris Chou, Coordinator, Medical and BioScience Academy and Science Teacher at Longmont High School, brought the SMART program to LHS two years ago. “We wanted the program to be an extension of what they are learning in some of their AP classes,” said Chou. Chou and co-sponsor, Richard Martyr brought their combined experience in biology and chemistry to support the team’s research.
The SMART program connects current scientific researchers with student teams who will research and model the proteins being studied. The team partnered with biochemist and cyber-mentor, Dr. Chris Cunningham, Concordia University Wisconsin, School of Pharmacy. The team, using Dr. Cunningham’s research and other scientific literature, studied and modeled the G-protein-coupled μ-opioid receptor (μ-OR). The μ-ORs are found in nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body. When certain chemicals react with the μ-OR, it allows those nerve cells to stop the signaling of pain. Dr. Cunningham hopes to develop the ideal drug that can help patients manage pain and prevent the negative side effects of opioid painkillers such as addiction and decreasing effectiveness.
Throughout this experience, students learned about all aspects of real scientific research.
“Students are learning about the proteins, studying their structure and their functions and engaging in the practices of science by researching the literature, modeling it through 3D programs, and understanding the chemistry and biology of these molecules,” said Chou.
From their research, students created a 3D computer model of the μ-OR and had a physical model produced with a 3D printer. Their culminating project of several months work was to create a poster presentation of the research to be shared at the national ASBMB conference. Five students from the team had the opportunity to present to other high school teams and undergraduates, as well as current scholars in the field. Students will receive credit as authors of a scientific publication as part of the ASBMB’s proceedings.
As one of only 19 teams chosen in the nation to present, the honor was well earned for their outstanding research presentation and enthusiasm and commitment toward scientific learning.
Congratulations SMART team: Trevor Bonner, Jake Drewes, Haleakala Harroun, Adrienne Jacobi, Maya Lippard, Justin Martyr, Alexander Santucci, Chase Schumacher and Danielle Swope.