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Biology Major Presented Research at National Meeting

Posted on Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Cory Mathias, a Westminster College senior biology major, presented his research at the "Xenobiotic Modulation of Signal Transduction Pathways and Gene Regulation" session of the 48th annual Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting March 15-19 in Baltimore.

Mathias is a son of Patricia Purcell of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, and Duane Mathias of Medina, Ohio. He is a graduate of Midpark High School.

The presentation, "Hypoxia-Mimetic Chemicals and Microbial Stimuli Interact to Produce a Pro-angiogenic Phenotype in Human Lung Fibroblasts," was co-authored with K. A. Brant and J. P. Fabisiak. The research was completed over the past two summers at the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in Dr. James Fabisiak's laboratory.

Mathias' research was funded through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Administrative Supplement to Support High School Student and College Undergraduate Research Experiences. His attendance at the SOT meeting was underwritten through Pfizer Pharmaceutical's competitive Pfizer Undergraduate Student Travel Award.

Mathias said, "During my sophomore year [at Westminster], I learned about a research opening through 1997 Westminster alumna Dr. Kelly Brant, who worked in the Fabisiak laboratory and contacted Dr. Patrick McCarthy [Westminster professor of biology emeritus]. I was lucky enough to get the position and conduct pulmonary toxicology research for two summers. In addition, I was able to do my biology capstone research 'A549 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Constitutively Expresses VEGF and CXCL-8' in the Fabisiak lab."

"The SOT meeting was an eye-opening experience," Mathias added. "It was exciting to have schools like Johns Hopkins, Brown, and NYU suggesting I apply to their graduate programs in toxicology. I was able to meet many of the top scientists in the field of toxicology from both academic and industrial settings. To anyone interested in pursuing a career in any of the sciences, I recommend conducting advanced research and attending conferences whenever possible to learn more about your field, gain valuable experience, find out about career options, and make lifelong friends."

Mathias will attend the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and plans to continue toxicology research.

Contact Dr. John Robertson, Westminster associate professor of biology, at (724) 946-7044 or e-mail robertjc@westminster.edu for additional information.

Cory Mathias