Award Fuels His Dream to Help Advance Cancer Research Toward a Cure
05/23/2017
Media contacts: 聽Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽
LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� A UMass Lowell student who wants to help cure cancer has received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship to support his studies.聽
Michael Doane of Lowell received a $7,500 scholarship 鈥� the highest amount awarded 鈥� from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation in recognition of his outstanding research contributions at UMass Lowell and during a National Science Foundation program he attended last year. Named in memory of the longtime U.S. senator, the award is presented to college sophomores and juniors in good academic standing who are pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. 聽
Doane, 32, arrived at UMass Lowell from his hometown of Hayward, Calif., in 2014, about a year and a half after he lost his mother to non-Hodgkin鈥檚 lymphoma. An Honors College student, he is majoring in chemical engineering and biology, with minors in biomedical engineering, mathematics and physics.聽
鈥淯Mass Lowell is a place where hard work meets opportunity. We鈥檙e proud to provide Michael and all of our students with the tools and support they need to achieve their goals. We commend him on his scholarship and look forward to seeing the important contributions we know his research will continue to make,鈥� said UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney.聽
Doane says he chose UMass Lowell in part because of its extensive partnerships with business and industry. He is making the most of those connections as he participates in co-ops that complement his work in the classroom and laboratory.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy I came here,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an abundance of research opportunities and everything is very progressive. There are so many different programs and entities that all build on each other and combine to give you anything you鈥檙e willing to get out of your undergraduate experience.鈥澛�
Along with his coursework, Doane鈥檚 research activities include assisting Biology Prof. Matthew Nugent in finding effective chemicals to fight emphysema and helping Chemical Engineering Prof. Prakash Rai develop targeted treatments for pancreatic cancer. Doane also worked under the direction of Chemical Engineering Prof. Seongkyu Yoon to model ways to manufacture medications. And, in UMass Lowell鈥檚 DifferenceMaker program, through which students gain entrepreneurial skills, Doane is part of a team developing a novel waste-management system for use in Haiti that looks to improve water quality and create jobs.
These experiences helped Doane win a National Science Foundation fellowship last summer, during which he created a computer simulation of glioblastoma cell clusters (brain cancer cells), for use in drug research.聽
He is now completing a UMass Lowell professional co-op at Pfizer Inc. in Andover, where he is scaling up the manufacture of pharmaceuticals that fight cancer and other diseases.聽
鈥淐ancer is a peculiar and fascinating thing. An accumulation of genetic accidents can cause it, so there are lots of different ways we can try to target it,鈥� Doane said.聽
After he completes his bachelor鈥檚 degree, Doane wants to go on to earn a Ph.D. toward his goal of a career as a cancer researcher and professor.聽
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,750 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu