WU student earns St. Jude best science paper award

By Amanda Phipps
phippsa@thejohnsonian.com

Zach Curry Biochemistry major A Winthrop student’s research fellowship paper won first prize in science at St. Jude Children’s research hospital.

Out of 500 applicants, 51 students were accepted into the St. Jude Pediatric Oncology Education Program this year. Thirty-three of these students were undergraduate students, two of which were sophomores.

Junior biochemistry major Zach Curry was one of the sophomores accepted to the program this summer. His research focused on determining the structure of a protein known to induce cell death, or apoptosis. He worked on discovering how to create a drug to activate this protein in cancer cells, therefore inducing apoptosis.
 
At the end of the program, Curry had to write a paper summarizing his research and the results. It was formatted as a science journal article.

“I can’t believe I won,” Curry said. “I am extremely humbled.”

The first place came with a prize of $300, according to the e-mail Curry received from St. Jude.

“The money is secondary to the fact that I won,” Curry said.

The second prize went to a student in Minneapolis, and there was a six-way tie for third place.

Curry said he did not even consider himself as a contender for the award.

“It was the biggest surprise of my life,” he said. “I was giddy when I found out I won.”

Curry went home and celebrated for a day by having dinner with his family.

He said he attributes his ability to win to the education he received at Winthrop.

“My chemistry professors mentored me on a personal level,” he said. “It made the difference.”

Curry acknowledged one professor in particular who helped him succeed.

“My adviser, Jason Hurlbert, has been the most influential one,” he said.

Curry worked in Hurlbert’s lab prior to going to St. Jude.

“He spent a lot of time mentoring me,” he said. “He taught me how to really read and critique biochemistry papers, which were skills that came in handy when I had to write my own.”

Curry’s accomplishment is beneficial for Winthrop as well, chemistry department chair Patrick Owens said.

“Zach’s award represents yet another example of a Winthrop chemistry student achieving national excellence in science,” he said. “The fact that Zach’s paper was judged by scientists to be better than those written by a number of students in MD/PhD programs is particularly impressive.”

Owens said Curry grew with this experience.

“Zach told me that over the past two years, he has transitioned from feeling like a student to feeling like a scientist,” he said.

St. Jude e-mailed Curry Monday and invited him to return next year.

“I don’t know what project I will be working on,” Curry said, “but I am going back.”