- Greg Vladimer
Microbiology major Gregory Vladimer ’08 goes well beyond learning about science in a classroom. His lab work has the potential to uncover groundbreaking information on Alzheimer’s, cardiac disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Vladimer’s research, conducted in a maze of labs in Morrill Science Center, is supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Stuart, whose own work focuses on a vaccine for chlamydia, the most frequently reported infectious disease in the United States. Vladimer studies how chlamydia changes key proteins in the cell host. “I anticipate that Greg will develop enough good data to add to our immunoglobulin story and quite likely enough for a standalone paper,” Stuart said.
On average, Vladimer spends 50 hours a week in the lab. Delighted to have found a mentor in Stuart, he is gaining a “priceless” education in the rigors of microbiology and scientific research. “I’m not cleaning up beakers or preparing chemicals. It’s always been very detailed research.” Since joining the Stuart lab last fall, he has received fi ve credits each semester and the chance to make a scientific breakthrough.
Vladimer’s work continues Stuart’s 1992 findings, work hampered by a lack of financial support and her need to focus on a vaccine for chlamydia. Vladimer’s parents, Richard and Jane Vladimer of Lexington, are stepping up to take care of the first obstacle, making signifi cant annual gifts to the UMass Amherst Parents Fund. Their contributions, and those of others, are an investment in their childrens’ education. They support the lab and other areas of campus because, “college is such a unique experience,” they explained. “We hope all his memories of those years will be positive. Our goal is to help ensure just such an experience.”
Combined with Gregory Vladimer’s maturity, focus, and commitment, gifts from the Vladimers enable Elizabeth Stuart’s lab to “pursue investigations that could have an impact on the treatment of many major diseases,” Stuart says. For 20-year-old Vladimer, it’s learning about cell culture techniques, fl uorescent microscopy, protein isolation, and western blot analysis. “I’ve learned techniques that will last me through graduate school, and I work as if I’m going to write a thesis for a PhD,” he said.
