Brookdale Chemistry Students to Present Their Summer Work

While we plotted how we could "work" from the beach with a trashy magazine this month, Brookdale's bio-chem students were pressing their eyeballs into microscopes under the flourescent lights of Dr. C. Britt Carlson's summer chemistry class at the community college.

In their Chem-236 class the students looked at available research to discover the bio-chemical basis or ramifications on subjects such as Nuelasta, the cancer treatment drug and Sickle Cell anemia. On Thursday the students will present their work on bio-chemistry research topics this term.

Alexandra Kamenel of Asbury Park, a graduate of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and her project partner Chedva Fox of Lakewood, took a look at a genetic mutations of the protein responsible for a quarter of cases of profound deafness detected in newborns.

Kamenel said that before the project that she had never heard of the protein and was intrigued by the work being done by scientists to provide early detection in pre-lingual children.

But why would a graduate look to fill up her summer with an accelarated science course? "I just love Brookdale," said Kamenel, who has taken other courses at Brookdale. "It's very fast paced," she said of the summer terms. "You have an exam every week. It's hard, but you get it out of the way quick."

The local students are a mix of those who attend here during the year and those who study or who have graduated from insitutions around the country. For six weeks the students hit the books hard for a fast paced version of regular classes that Brookdale offers.

The advanced level course topics include the structure and nature of biochemicals important to life – carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, the detailed metabolic pathways that generate them and how energy is released. Students study the RNA and DNA gene molecules; learn their descriptions, their role in protein synthesis and their structures.

Students presenting this week are:

• Will Bascara of Millstone, a graduate of Temple University, Joseph Penta of Old Bridge, student at Brookdale Community College and Joe Doran of Hazlet, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey will present on Phenylketonuria: a genetic disorder that interferes with the digestion of the amino acid, phenylalanine, and can lead to serious health effects.
• Kerri Buscaglia of Freehold, a graduate of University of Mary Washington and Kristin Dellano of Tinton Falls, student at Brookdale Community College will present on Sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder that impacts how iron is transported by red blood cells.
• Linda Peeters of Lyndhurst and Jessica Thomas of Belleville, both students at Montclair State University will present on the cancer treatment drug Neulasta, a drug that is given to chemotherapy patients to boost their immune system after treatment.  The students have chosen to examine some of the chemistry and biological impact of this drug.
• Many Unanski of Belmar and Emily Raines of Manalapan, both students at Montclair State University, will present on chocolate mil for athlete recovery.
• Alexandra Kamenel of Asbury Park, a graduate of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Chedva Fox of Lakewood, a student at Seton Hall University will present on Connexin-26/GJB, a protein which can be a cause of hearing loss if there is a mutation in the genetic material.

Students will share their research findings on June 21 at the Lincroft main campus, 765 Newman Springs Road in the Warner Student Life Center Twin Lights I room from 11 a.m. – noon. The public is welcome to attend, meet the students and hear first-hand about their projects. Light refreshments will be served. For questions or more information, contact Dr. C. Britt Carlson at  ccarlson@brookdalecc.edu.