Sacramento High School Student to Present Original Research at International Pulmonary Medicine Conference
Melanie Fu, a junior at St. Francis High School in Sacramento, CA will be presenting her original research on the effects of tobacco exposure on the lungs at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Philadelphia in May. The ATS International Conference is the premier world conference in pulmonary research and medicine.
Ms. Fu is a volunteer high school student researcher in the high school summer research program at the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California, Davis. Her research addressed the question of whether exposure to tobacco smoke could cause irreversible injury and changes in the lungs. Working with archived tissue sections from animals exposed to tobacco smoke for 12 weeks and then allowed to recover for up to 6 weeks, Ms. Fu used a microscope connected to a camera to capture digital images which were then analyzed using a computer program to quantify changes in alveolar airspace size.
“I've been interested in science since I was a kid,” said Ms. Fu. “Ultimately, I would like to have a career in the medical field, but I would love to pursue research as well. I think that research is a direct and meaningful way to make waves in the world.”
“I have had the privilege to work with Melanie since she first came to my laboratory last summer as a volunteer, having just completed the 10th grade,” said Kent Pinkerton, Professor of Pediatrics (School of Medicine), Professor of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology (School of Veterinary Medicine), and Director of the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California, Davis. “Melanie worked with us in the laboratory four full days each week over a period of 9 weeks. The one day she was not working with us, she was directing a children’s summer program. Since Melanie was too young to drive, her parents would bring her each day to the University laboratory to conduct her research. During this current school year extending beyond summer, Melanie has continued to interact with us to further expand her studies. Melanie is an incredible student with exceptional abilities and talents she continues to demonstrate in all my interactions with her over the past 10 months.”
“Melanie’s work was so amazing and professionally done, I encouraged her to prepare an abstract for submission to the ATS conference,” said Dr. Pinkerton. “Together, we helped her to prepare an abstract titled, Persistence of Structural and Functional Changes in the Lungs of Rats Following Cessation to Tobacco Smoke Exposure. Melanie’s abstract has been accepted for presentation in a poster session at the ATS conference. This is a truly amazing accomplishment for a high school student.”
Ms Fu adds that she is “very excited and humbled to be able to present, but I'm even more excited to experience this direct and eye-opening window into the amazing work that is going on in the international pulmonary research community.”