Calvin Senior Nears End of Van Andel Institute Internship

April 16, 2008 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: A Calvin College senior from Grand Rapids is nearing the end of his
internship experience at the Van Andel Research Institute, but plans to stay on
for an extra year after his May graduation from Calvin.

Full story see http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/vari-wondergem.htm

Bill Wondergem, 21, a Calvin biology major and biochemistry minor, has worked
since his junior year as an intern in the lab of Bin Teh, a distinguished
scientific investigator at the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and a
specialist in kidney cancer.

"Kidney cancer is the primary focus of our lab because Bin's father died of
the disease," said Wondergem. "It's a very deadly cancer. Surgery is the
primary treatment, but if the cancer has spread too much, the chances of long
term survival are not good."

Wondergem, who first worked at the VARI as a first-year student at Calvin,
said his research in Teh's lab is a search for the genes that cause kidney
cancer. The research is exciting, he said, and involves handling a lot of
kidneys, taking DNA and RNA from both normal tissue and cancerous tissue.

Wondergem says his stint at the VARI has stretched his capabilities.

"I love working in the lab because Bin gives me so much freedom as a student.
He gives me the opportunity to think for myself and determine which experiments
need to be done. I think you learn a lot more that way than when you're just
following instructions from someone else."

The VARI internship is a great opportunity for the many Calvin students who
have pursued it, said Calvin biology professor John Ubels.

"It gives students experience at a major research institute, which is very
good preparation for grad school," he said. "And it has also been very useful
for some of our students who have not gone on to grad school, but who have
become fulltime research assistants there after graduation."

Wondergem has set his sights on a medical career that includes a fair amount
of the kind of research he learned at the institute. Meanwhile, the sometime
Calvin hockey player and tutor in the college’s department of academic
services will continue working at the VARI for a year after his May graduation,
continuing his current research and publishing the results.

"After a few years of learning, you can finally contribute to the work," said
Wondergem. "I've learned enough of the ropes to contribute meaningfully."

Full story see http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/vari-wondergem.htm

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Received on Tue Apr 15 23:26:02 2008