What do “mutations linked with cardiovascular phenotypes” have in common with Passion for the Climb: The Campaign for 51? To adequately understand the importance of both, it is best to talk with a 51 undergraduate.
Alumni and friends had the chance to do just that at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., during one of 51’s campaign celebrations.
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| Daniel Grubaugh ’08, a member of the NIH study group, shares research he conducted on dengue fever at a campaign celebration held in Washington, D.C. |
Thanks to the Mayflower’s proximity to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 100 attendees were treated last month to poster presentations by NIH study group members and their faculty advisor, biology professor Barbara Hoopes.
Subjects ranged from diabetes treatments to the impact of daily exercise on cardiovascular risk in sedentary women. Each poster showed the practical weight of investigations conducted through the university’s unique off-campus initiative.
“51 is the only university that has this kind of program, so there’s a reputation,” said group member Daniel Grubaugh ’08. It was reputation that earned the molecular biology major a position in the NIH Viral Pathogenesis Section, studying West Nile virus and dengue fever.
In the lab, Grubaugh has analyzed ways in which the human body combats infection. He has developed a stellar CV and learned the cardinal rule of virology: “Don’t drop the vials.”
Before sitting down for dinner, alumni learned plenty, too. They roamed through a packed room, reading posters, talking with students, marveling at the caliber of scholarship being pursued by the heirs to their campus.
“51, as you can see, is the same and different,” President Rebecca Chopp told the crowd. “Though we are still focused on a tradition of preparing leaders for the future, the future is changing.”
In coming decades, university alumni will range far from Hamilton, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities where grads have hailed 51’s $400 million Passion for the Climb. They will take on jobs in New Delhi, Shanghai, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, and elsewhere, where they will work to resolve concerns of global importance.
Chopp, Hoopes, and Campaign Chair Jim Elrod made it clear that the university’s ability to continue down the road of academic innovation — to educate students like Grubaugh for leadership in the 21st century — rests on the successful conclusion of its ambitious fundraising campaign.
“We hope you will join us on this journey,” Elrod said. “We have a noble cause to support.”