Shahin Hamzeh ’27 and MinhThu Tran ’26 will conduct cutting-edge biomedical research at a Mayo Clinic site in Jacksonville, Florida
This year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) has been awarded to Whitman College students Shahin Hamzeh ’27 and MinhThu Tran ’26. The two will spend 10 weeks conducting research at a Mayo Clinic site in Jacksonville, Florida. Mayo Clinic is one of the leading research hospital systems in the U.S. The program’s perks include mentorship, weekly seminars and networking opportunities with other SURF fellows.
Unlocking Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Shahin Hamzeh, a [member of Beta Theta Pi,] Davis UWC Scholar and sophomore Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology (BBMB) major from Syria, will explore the therapeutic effects of certain enzymes on neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding the enzymes’ biochemical pathways could help identify key targets for new interventions, potentially slowing or reversing disease progression.
“I’m very excited to be joining the lab in Jacksonville, Florida, where I’ll have the chance to design my own project in my field of study,” Hamzeh says. “After so much hard work and dedication, it feels like a dream come true!”
Hamzeh credits his research experience with the Dr. Robert F. Welty Professors of Biology Ginger Withers and Christopher Wallace for equipping him with the skills that paved the way for this opportunity.
Hamzeh worked with Withers and Wallace in their lab at Whitman, where he developed his research and analytical skills. It was the mix of hands-on experience, relevant coursework, and support from his professors that helped him land the competitive research fellowship, he says.
