Faces of SRAP: Natalie

From: Wyoming

Ravichander and Natalie

Natalie Blaise, a junior from Guernsey, Wyoming loves science.

“I just like it a lot,” she says. “I really like my teachers, Mrs. Watson, and Mr. Beck.”

Her love of science and her experience with good teachers has inspired her to think about a career as a science teacher.

For her Summer Research Apprentice Program project, Natalie’s research has serious, real-world application possibilities.

“I’m in the Chemistry department, and right now we’re working with a process called ELISA,” Natalie says. “It detects certain proteins that you might have in a mixture.”

Natalie is working in Dr. Debashis Dutta’s lab, with Ravichander Peesara.

“ELISA is a quantitative technique that can detect various biologically important proteins, such as cancer markers” says Ravichander. “We are trying to develop ELISA so that it can better detect proteins in as low concentrations as possible, making it more helpful to patients.”

SRAP is a six-week, intensive research program for high school students. It is based at the University of Wyoming and is sponsored by Wyoming EPSCoR. To learn more about the program, click here, or search "SRAP" in the archives. 

By Robin Rasmussen

Photo by Robert Waggener