20 minute read
RISING
BY ALEX MCCARTHY • ILLUSTRATIONS BY JADE BRYAN ’22
One year shy of a decade ago, Roanoke College magazine featured a cover story about three alumni who, after graduating in the first half of the 20th century, went on to exceedingly distinguished science careers.
“Science Giants,” they were called.
The three, Dr. Theophilus Painter 1908, Dr. Vernon Mountcastle ’38 and Dr. Carl Gottschalk ’42, were “exemplars in taking what Roanoke offered and using it to change the world through science,” Roanoke College President Michael C. Maxey said then. Each of the three, each now deceased, was “a giant in his field.”
Roanoke College’s longstanding tradition of educating, nurturing, training and preparing students for careers in the sciences — the same tradition that brought national and international acclaim to Painter, known for his work in identifying genes in fruit flies; to Mountcastle, known for his foundational discovery in the field of neuroscience: and to Gottschalk, who perfected the application of micropuncture technique to the study of kidney function — endures.
Who now stands on the shoulders of these giants? Who now serves as a daily reminder that science programs at Roanoke College continue to inspire generations of students?
Who are the rising giants?
JARED HERR:
Finger on the pulse of a rapidly-changing field
Dr. Jared Herr ’04 always has his mind on the future of the human heart.
Herr, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist at the California Pacific Medical Center’s Center for Advanced Heart Failure Therapies, is often involved in research and clinical trials for heart treatments. These include trials for treatments such as mechanical transplants that help hearts pump more effectively.
These glimpses into the future keep Herr on the cutting edge of heart treatments.
“I really enjoy it,” Herr said. “It’s one of the fields that’s most rapidly changing, in cardiology at least. Every year there’s something different.”
“That one-on-one mentorship I got [at Roanoke], I try to apply that to my current position, with trainees, residents and medical students. I try to take what I got at that level of my education and bring that to other people.” — Dr. Jared Herr ’04
Many of Herr’s day-to-day duties involve connecting with patients and helping them through stressful times. Herr helps heart failure patients prepare for treatment, including heart transplants, then helps them long after their surgery.
“You get to take care of patients for a long time who have chronic disease and also have long-standing relationships with people,” Herr said. “Because you see them, you might follow them for years before they get a transplant, then they get a transplant and you follow them for years after that. You really get to be a part of their life and help them through a really difficult time.”
It is a rewarding experience, seeing patients get better before his eyes, Herr said.
Herr, who grew up in Syracuse, New York, graduated magna cum laude from Roanoke with degrees in biochemistry and biology. He went on to earn an M.D., with honors, from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston before completing his internship and residency at the University of California-San Francisco. After his internship and residency, he completed his fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
But before any of those academic and career achievements, Herr was a student at Roanoke searching for his path. He knew he was interested in biology and physiology, but it wasn’t until he began working with Dr. Dar Jorgensen that his future came into focus.
Jorgensen, Thornhill Professor of Biology at Roanoke, worked with Herr on research into cardiovascular physiology on invertebrates. Many of the principles for invertebrates also apply to humans, Herr explained. He took this basic science understanding and has been able to apply it to working with the human heart.
Lifelong knowledge wasn’t the only takeaway from his work with Jorgensen. The two remain in contact, and Jorgensen even officiated Herr’s wedding a few years ago.
“What’s special about Roanoke is you have an opportunity to develop a long-lasting relationship with people and a lot of oneon-one interaction,” Herr said. “Having been in a lot of places of various size and stature, it’s not that way everywhere. I think it’s a very unique quality and a very important part of the Roanoke experience, the one-on-one mentorship and community development there.”
Though he’s now on the West Coast, Herr has stayed involved with his alma mater. As plans progress for a new Science Center at the College, Herr has shared his expertise. He is a member of the Science Center Campaign Committee and is keeping abreast, with excitement, of Science Center plans and design.
“It’s in desperate need of upgraded facilities,” Herr noted. “As much as I love Life Science and Trexler — and I’ll be sad to see the old Lobster Lab go away — it’s definitely not where it needs to be in terms of really harnessing the potential that exists there to expand existing programs as well as build on new programs.”
As for his own future, Hess greatly enjoys the work he is doing and will continue to help heart patients through their journeys. He’s also been teaching interns and residents, and has been reflecting on his time at Roanoke as he mentors future medical professionals.
“That one-on-one mentorship I got [at Roanoke], I try to apply that to my current position, with trainees, residents and medical students,” Herr said. “I try to take what I got at that level of my education and bring that to other people.”
— Lea Lupkin ’09
Lea Lupkin ’09
LEA LUPKIN:
Everyone uses energy. Lea Lupkin ’09 is helping people become smarter in how they use it.
As the founding manager of behavioral products and programs at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Pittsburgh, Lupkin examines ways for utility customers to save energy. Through the understanding of how human activity adversely affects ecosystems and disrupts nature’s normal course, and the knowledge of how people make decisions, Lupkin helps utility companies present customers with sustainable and energy-saving options.
“All of us use energy at home or in businesses that we work at or own or visit,” Lupkin said. “Everyone is a utility customer. So we work with utilities, and we basically reach everyone.”
Lupkin was an environmental systems major at Roanoke with a sociology minor. She later earned a master’s degree in environmental management at Yale University. Even though she doesn’t talk about “hard sciences,” such as biology or physics, on a daily basis, having that base of scientific knowledge helps her maintain credibility in the industry.
“The work that I do is all science-based,” Lupkin said. “It’s often at the intersection between hard sciences and soft sciences.”
Lupkin became interested in the environment when she was in high school. She chose to come to Roanoke, in large part, because of the Undergraduate Research Assistants Program, which connects students with professors to conduct research early in their college careers.
Lupkin worked with Dr. Greg Weiss, now-retired professor of sociology at Roanoke. She always had a love for animals and considered becoming a veterinarian, but early in her time at Roanoke she decided she wanted to make a difference in a bigger way. She also had interests in other fields such as international relations, and started thinking about the ways she could use those interests to help animals and the environment as a whole.
“I was interested in policy and sociology and international relations,” Lupkin said, “but I had to have a good base in environmental systems and the ways that humans are changing the systems and making sure that solutions are science-based.”
After her junior year at Roanoke, she interned for the Sustainable Endowments Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. When she graduated, she returned to the institute, which conducts research, education and outreach to help make businesses and organizations more environmentally conscious.
Through that job, she was introduced to the founder of a startup called GreenerU that works with colleges and universities in the Northeast to make campuses more energy-efficient. That job piqued her interest in behavioral science, and she then entered Yale.
There were some parallels between her experience at Yale and her experience at Roanoke, Lupkin said. The coursework to get her master’s degree in environmental management was very diverse, and allowed her to essentially design her own curriculum and explore various topics. She assisted professors with research as well.
After Yale, Lupkin worked for a Los Angeles-based startup called the See Change Institute. There, she was able to start combining social sciences and hard sciences on a daily basis. She connected with ICF Pittsburgh and has been there since 2017.
Bringing green products more into the mainstream has been fascinating, Lupkin said. She used washing machines and electric cars as examples: If a consumer needs a washing machine, the consumer is not going to travel out of his or her way or endure a long wait just to get an energy-efficient machine. If energy-efficient washing machines are readily available or are advertised more effectively, that consumer will be more likely to buy it, she said. The same holds true for electric cars: no electric cars on the lot, no electric cars purchased.
There are only so many companies that produce desirable products that are also energy-efficient, Lupkin said. She’s looking forward to helping build a world where greener products are more mainstream.
“That’s what I want to continue to focus on: How do we speed up adoption of clean technologies so that it just becomes a normal part of our life rather than an outlier technology that only a few people have?” she asked.
TAYLOR FEREBEE:
Combining interests and striving for representation
Taylor Ferebee ’17 has always been interested in “doing too much.”
When she was younger, she wanted to get into philosophy and neurosurgery. Then she got interested in math. And physics. And biology.
So it made sense that Ferebee landed at Roanoke, where she could study a little bit of everything.
“Going to a liberal arts school allowed me to understand how I can put together different fields,” Ferebee said. “Because you have to take [classes in] everything, you get a good idea of the connections between math, physics, writing, literature.”
Ferebee settled on majoring in physics and mathematics, with a minor in statistics. She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. in computational biology at Cornell University.
Ferebee’s research and work experience have taken her to very diverse areas. She’s interned at a Catholic church and for a professional lacrosse team. She’s worked as an editor of a wedding blog and for the IT department at Roanoke.
Now, her interests have led her to one of the most important agricultural products this country produces — corn. She’s combining expertise in genetics, network analysis and computer science
— Taylor Ferebee ’17
to get a better idea of what goes on inside maize.
The overall goal is to better inform geneticists and corn breeders about the inner workings of the crop. Ferebee works for the Buckler Lab at Cornell, which seeks to make maize production more efficient and more environmentally friendly.
Ferebee, originally from Hampton Roads, Virginia, grew up surrounded by science. Her parents both work for NASA. Her father is a rocket scientist and her mother is a mathematician. Besides her parents, though, Ferebee said she didn’t see many people who looked like her in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. She hopes to help change that.
“I really want to go into a career where I’m doing a few things,” Ferebee said. “One is continuing research. I find it’s a lot of fun. And then also really being a person who can lift up those who are underserved, especially in STEM. I was lucky enough to have parents who were in STEM, but not a lot of people are. Really making sure STEM is accessible for those students and making sure they know there are opportunities that are beyond the classic, ‘Be a doctor, lawyer, engineer.’”
Ferebee said she hopes to do that in two ways: mentoring students and working with people in hiring positions. While it’s important to inspire young people and show them that they can succeed in science, it’s also vital to let top-level decision-makers know that people in underrepresented populations have a great deal to offer, Ferebee said.
That even extends to people who aren’t from big-name colleges or universities, she said.
“I definitely want to also work at the hiring level and the level to say, ‘Hey, you don’t have to just look at Harvard to get good students. You can go somewhere as small as Roanoke and find the same amount of skills and expertise and teachability.’”
During her time at Roanoke, Ferebee took full advantage of opportunities. She conducted research on campus and even with a professor at nearby Hollins University. She spent a semester studying abroad on the Yucatan Peninsula, and discovered an interest in agriculture that led to a fellowship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Ferebee also took a variety of classes on campus and learned how to approach research topics from multiple angles. More than that, she said she grew in ways beyond her studies.
“I very much value my time at Roanoke,” Ferebee said. “I think I grew a lot as a person as well as a researcher, and I’m very thankful for that.”
KENNETH LAMPERT:
Involved in everything medicine has to offer
It was clear early on during his years at Roanoke College, that Kenneth Lampert ’12, P.A. was headed for the medical profession. But it wasn’t until a professor pulled him aside after class that his direct path came into focus.
The Salem, Virginia, native was an EMT with the Salem Rescue Squad during his time at Roanoke, and he was heavily involved in biology research with an eye on medical school in the future. One day, during Lampert’s junior year, Dr. DorothyBelle Poli, professor of biology, asked him whether he had ever considered becoming a physician assistant (PA).
“What’s a PA?” Lampert said he wondered.
Ten years later, Lampert is an experienced and accomplished PA in Albany, New York, working in a variety of fields at the Albany Medical Center. He’s honed his skills in high-pressure environments, including life-or-death crises in the emergency department.
“It was a pretty in-depth introduction to medicine,” Lampert said. “We were involved in everything medicine has to offer.”
Lampert’s time at Roanoke set a solid foundation for his career. His work with the Salem Rescue Squad immersed him in the world of emergency care, and the lessons he learned in the field as a squad member have directly translated to his time in the emergency department in Albany, he said.
“The adrenaline rush, the fast-paced mindset and thinking, and the critical decisions you have to make within rapid succession is part of the reason I gravitated toward emergency medicine over everything,” Lampert said.
In the classroom, he also developed a deep knowledge of biology thanks in part to the opportunity to conduct research. One of the main reasons Lampert came to Roanoke — other than the small class sizes — was the promise of doing research as an undergraduate. Lampert and Dr. Chris Lassiter, biology professor and director of undergraduate research, worked with zebra fish, hoping to use androgen receptors to make the fish glow green.
Unfortunately, that never came to fruition, but Lampert said the research taught him about dedication and perseverance as much as it taught him about biology. Thanks to the close relationship with professors and the chance to be involved with hands-on opportunities on and off campus, Lampert was able to earn a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from Hofstra University and jump right into the medical world.
“Looking back, there were multiple aspects of Roanoke College that definitely shaped me into who I’ve become and what my lifestyle’s been,” Lampert said.
Now, Lampert is working in a variety of positions, including teaching, working in home health care — caring for patients in their homes — while continuing part-time work as a surgical PA.
With his well-rounded knowledge about various aspects of the medical field, Lampert provides valuable insight for his students. He has taught at the Albany Medical Center and at an urgent care center in Albany. He’s also equipped with his experience as a student at Roanoke, where he witnessed and interacted with teachers who excelled at their jobs.
“Roanoke definitely helped with teaching, with that close-knit, nurturing environment,” Lampert said. “That’s something I always valued and cherished that Roanoke had and put into us as students. I took away from that, teaching strategies and habits, and I’m able to return it back to my students as well.”
Lampert said he might pursue teaching more seriously in the future, but for now he’s happy continuing to work in the field. Working in the home health care field has been particularly interesting, he said, as more and more people want to receive medical care in the comfort of their home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So not only has Lampert had a front-row seat for many different aspects of the medical field, he’s also been able to observe trends and changes in how people receive medical care.
Lampert said he doesn’t like to be locked into one field or one specialty, which is why he is so well-suited for the PA profession. As a result of his time as a PA — and his time obtaining a wide variety of experiences at Roanoke — he is well prepared for success in the next path he chooses to follow, whatever that might be.
“That’s what I like about being a PA,” Lampert said. “I’m very versatile and malleable and I can jump to different fields if I feel I need to.”
TAMARA POLES:
Celebrating and demystifying science
The career of Tamara Poles ’08 began with fecal matter.
As a Roanoke College student, Poles was working with Dr. Brooks Crozier, biology professor, and asked him about his research. Crozier responded with a detailed explanation using scientific terms that went over the young student’s head. Poles, trying to make conversation, asked Crozier how he might go about starting his research.
Crozier explained that he needed to extract a sample from fecal matter.
“You study poop?” Poles asked. “Why don’t you start with that?”
With that, Poles began to envision her life purpose.
Poles, community engagement specialist for the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has dedicated herself to making science more accessible and understandable for people of all ages. She’s particularly involved with getting scientists into classrooms of young children to show them that scientists are more than just people in white coats conducting solitary research in a distant lab.
“There’s a misconception in the world that people think scientists were just born perfect and know all about science,” Poles said. “I am trying to demystify science for the general public, and for kids to know, ‘We’re people. We had to figure it out too.’”
Poles, who majored in biology at Roanoke, stresses the importance of scientists being “bilingual,” where they can talk to their peers in technical terms but can also translate their studies to simpler language that the average layperson can understand. This helps non-scientists understand the importance of scientific research, she said. It also shows young people that studying science isn’t nearly as hard as it might seem.
“Scientists are amazing,” Poles said. “I think people need to celebrate them more.”
Poles has spearheaded multiple programs that have brought scientists out of labs and into classrooms around North Carolina. Her work has received international acclaim.
The Inspiring Meaningful Programs and Communications Through Science (IMPACTS) initiative ran from 2016-2020. It aimed to recruit and train a diverse group of science professionals to speak to students all over North Carolina and talk about their personal career paths and what they enjoy about their work.
Poles was invited to present at the UK Science Festival Network 2018 Conference in Swansea, Wales, to teach attendees how they can implement science communication programs in their country. She also spoke to British Science Association staff and funders about how to start a program like IMPACTS.
A new program — Featuring Underrepresented Talent in Urban and Rural Engagement with Science (FUTURES) — provides science engagement, outreach and communication training for students, staff and faculty at community colleges across North Carolina. The program, which Poles created, trains these students, staff, faculty — and alumni — in effective public communication and science outreach practices so they can share their experiences with members of the public.
The success of the IMPACTS program led to the creation of the FUTURES program, Poles said. The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation funded the IMPACTS program, then committed more money to fund the FUTURES program. Poles said two major aspects of the IMPACTS program stood out.
“The program evaluation came back saying the public really liked talking with scientists who looked like them and debunked a lot of their misconceptions about science and scientists,” Poles said. “They also really liked listening to the scientists’ personal stories, because they felt that the scientists were relatable.”
Poles said she was once in the same spot as many of the young students who have participated in her programs, as she didn’t see many scientists who looked like her when she was growing up. Representation is so important for young people, Poles said. “If they can see it, they can be it,” she added.
While at Roanoke, Poles gained the confidence to pursue this path of combining science and communications. She was struggling early on at Roanoke, not getting the grades she was aiming for. But Dr. DorothyBelle Poli, biology professor, saw potential in Poles and invited Poles to work in her lab.
That interest from Poli, “changed everything,” Poles said. She was able to bounce ideas off Poli and gain confidence. The kind of job Poles wanted — to be a liaison between science and communication — didn’t exist when Poles graduated from Roanoke in 2008, but Poli advised her to go for it anyway.
Poles started creating projects at Roanoke, including a mock TV show called “Muckrakers” that broke down scientific topics in basic terms for a wide TV audience. Projects like that, done in a safe environment at Roanoke, helped prepare Poles for the work she’s doing now.
“All of this, I got to start and pilot at Roanoke and now I can do it on a big scale with no safety net,” Poles said. “I learned from my mistakes and I learned from my successes at Roanoke — and I’m able to implement it now.” RC
