2 undergrads get prestigious fellowships

Two undergraduates, Hoda Ahmadi and Lauren Shapiro, have been awarded prestigious Pfizer summer research fellowships in molecular biology.

The two UW–Madison students were among only 15 undergraduates nationwide who received the $5,000 awards at selected universities. Both are Madison natives.

Ahmadi, a third year undergraduate who is also a member of UW–Madison’s women’s lightweight crew, will continue working in the laboratory of Arthur S. Polans, a UW–Madison professor of ophthalmology. Her research focuses on understanding the role of several genes that govern the development of blood vessels in eye tumors.

Shapiro, also a third year undergraduate, will spend the summer in the laboratory of B. Lynn Allen-Hoffmann, a UW–Madison professor of pathology. Using a model of human skin, Shapiro will look at how tumor cells grow and proliferate within a model that closely mimics the skin environment.

Both Shapiro and Ahmadi hope to attend medical school.

Robert M. Goodman, a professor of plant pathology and chair of the UW–Madison undergraduate program in molecular biology, said having two Pfizer research fellowship recipients is a coup for the university and illustrates the important role research can play in undergraduate education.

“It really speaks well for the students,” Goodman said. “It’s very exciting” and shows how students, through initiative and hard work, can capitalize on UW–Madison’s research resources to craft outstanding educational opportunities.

Pfizer, based in Groton, Conn., is one of the world’s leading research-based health care companies. Its program of summer research fellowships is offered each year to students at a select group of research universities and is intended to encourage entry into life science careers.