xt7jws8hj52f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7jws8hj52f/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 1991 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1991 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Winter/Spring 1991 1991 1991 2026 true xt7jws8hj52f section xt7jws8hj52f WINTER/SPRING 1991 0

0 THE MAGAZINE OF UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH -

NIGHTMARE ’
DISEASE:

WORKING

TO PREVENT

THE ASSAULT ,
OF ALZHEIME j,

EDITOR ’S N 0 T E:

You will ﬁnd changes in this issue of ODYSSE Y—some new features and some rearrange—
ment of familiar ones.

One new feature is titled “Behind the Scenes ”and will, in each issue, concern an individual
who plays a critical role in the support of research—someone who is part of the research
infrastructure. We hope this feature will give you additional insight into the type of complex
support system needed for a research university and that it will encourage young people to
become technically trained for the many opportunities to participate at an important level
in science and research without, necessarily, some of the advanced degrees usually associated
with these endeavors. EB. Yates, the subject of this issue’s “Behind the Scenes, " is a native
of Harrodsburg who used his education at McAﬁEe High School and his experience as a
machinist to propel him into a job as a technician in UK ’5 Mechanical Engineering Depart-
ment. This job developed into a career of almost four decades of working closely with faculty
and graduate students to turn their concepts and sketches into complex machinery.

A second new feature is titled “Honorable Mention ” and follows the careers of UK
graduates who have received a graduate degree from our university. In this issue we 10012 at
the accomplishments ofsix of our graduates—a Pulitzer Prize nominee composer, chair of an
international ban/e, senior director of an international pharmaceutical company, one of the
nation ’s leading experts on US. military history, chief of the neuropsychological program at
a leading university, and an internationally acclaimed researcher in chemical engineering.
They are a source of pride for all of us who have an interest in the University of Kentucky.

Perhaps one of the most delightful aspects of “Honorable Mention " is the deluge of
suggestions we received from around campus on who to feature. Now we have a repository
of very accomplished graduates to draw on, so this should be an interesting feature for many
issues to come.

Some old standards—”Research Briefs” and “Research Results ”—have been renamed to
more accurately reﬂect their subject matter. “Research Briefs ” is now titled "Kiosk, ”aﬁer the
Turkish word for a place to post notices and announcements. “Research Results” has been
retitled “Update. ” W/ith the new title, thisfeature will be expanded to report on the progress
of research eﬁorts as well as the ﬁndings of projects that have concluded.

I hope you will ﬁnd that the new additions and changes enhance your enjoyment of
OD Y SSE K We are very glad to have you as a reader... your support throughout the past nine
years has meant a great deal to all of us.

aL—voﬂﬂrv

Susan H. Hodgetts
Editor and Director of
Communications and Advancement

he University of Kentucky, the com—

monwealth’s graduate education and
research institution, exists to provide op-
portunities for the education, personal
growth and development of individuals
and to contribute to the improvement of
society.

With this mission as its premise, one
goal of the university is to conduct pro-
grams ofbasic and applied research which
support graduate and professional educa—
tion, provide for the advancement of
knowledge. and seek solutions for the
acute problems of society.

The university‘s research mission also
acts as a magnet for attracting top gradu—
ate students who want to participate in
nationally competitive research projects.
This research experience can offer them a
signiﬁcant advantage in their education
while laying the Foundation for future
research and development. ODYSSEY.
through articles about various research
projects and graduate education programs,
reﬂects the breadth of the university’s
search for new knowledge and the myriad
of research endeavors underway. The prog—
ress that the university has made toward
achieving its research mission and secur-
ing the extramural funds required to sup-
port these types of endeavors would have
been impossible without the talents and
dedication of our researchers.

The goal of ODYSSEYis to offer the
reader the opportunity to share in some of
the excitement, curiosity and creativity
evident in the research underway at the
University of Kentucky.

,_
xl
ls

ODYS S EY

Volume VIII, No. 2

CONTENTS

The Nightmare Disease: Working to Prevent the Assault of Alzheimer's 2

Engineering Success:
Role Models Encourage Minorities and Women 10

Cool, Clear Water:
Assessing Kentucky’s Groundwater Quality 17

Honorable Mention:
The Successes of Six UK Graduates 22

Behind the Scenes:

Behind the Scenes, p.28 , . y . . . .
For “Tlnkerer’ EB. Yates, Burlding Another Machine Is Just Routine 28
K' ck
10s 51
Update:
Peter Oeltgen: UK's HIT Man 55
Kiosk, p.31
ft" ’ ‘
leﬁah‘: . - ,2‘
Law A ~ ‘

OD YSSEYis published by the Office ofthe Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. Each issue of ODYSSEY
describes only a few of the many University of Kentucky research projects underway in a variety of areas.

Requests for permission to reprint material and readers‘ comments regarding ODYSSEYare welcome and should be
sent to the Editor, Communications and Advancement, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506—0057 (phone 606/
257-8297).

The publication of ODYSSEYis not financed by state—appropriated funds.

Editor: Susan H. Hodgetts. Assoc. Editor: Jeff Worley. Designer: Shear 8c Shear. Communications Assn: Lisa D.
Lizer. ResearchAsst.: Melinda Higgins. ContributingWriters: Elizabeth Hansen, Leigh Gaines, Teresa Arnold, Suzanne
Froelich. Printing: Merrick Printing, Inc.

Credits: cover illustration by Bonnie Timmons, The Image Bank; photos on pp.lO—12, 31, 34 by Lee Thomas;

photos on pp. 4, 5, 9. 13-20, 28, 32, 35 by Ken Goad; photo on back cover by James Archambeault; photo on p.22
courtesy of DePauw University.

171sz ,1 ,<’

n‘.£‘€

The Nightmare
Disease:
Working

to Prevent

the Assault

of Alzheimer’s

by/eﬂ‘ War/17v

he topie i if interest \\'as aluminum And
many ot' the physieians and seientists
waiting to hear the t\\o speakers at the

.\leridien Hotel in .\an l-‘rantiseo that Sunday
afternoon last lune e\peeted a knoek-doxxn.
dragout eonl'rontation.

Both speakers had done estensn e \\ork on
true-element studies. “hieh analy/e the
amounts of sueh elements as aluminum.
mereutx. hromine. and ruhidium in the hrains
of Alzheimer’s \ ietims. The researeh loetlses
on nene eells \\'hieli eontain t'ilaments ealled
neur<)l‘ihrillary tangles. shri\ elled strands ref
semhling hundles ol stra\\. These tangles are
eharaeteristie markers in the hrains ol .v\lx—
heimei’s patients. It \\ as no seeret to many of
those attending this session that the mo
speakers. hoth internationally known experts
on Alzheimer‘s. had i'eaehed signilieantly dil-
lei‘ent eonelusions from their researeh on the
role of aluminum in Alzheimers disease.

First. \Villiam .\1arkeshery. direetor ol' the
Samlers—Brown Center at the [‘niVersity ol’

‘ Kentucky. rose to present his findings to this
gathering of the Ameriean Association of
\eun)pathologists. \lzii‘kele‘n'. a slender
man in his l‘il‘ties who lweeomes easin ani—
mated \\‘hen speaking about something that
engages his imagination. chronicled the work
that he and ['K ehemistiy professor \Villiam

ODYSSEY 2

lihmann had done on the amount of alumiv
num present in the brains. taken at autopsy. of
Alzheimer‘s victims. In bulk studies at UK.
samples ofbrain tissue approximately the size
of a pea were taken. and neutron activation
analysis was used (the samples were made
radioactive so that gamma rays emitted could
be analyzed to determine the concentration of
aluminum.) In further studies of microscopic
samples. [TK‘s Laser Microprobe Mass Ana—
lyzer (LAN/IMA) was utilized. Markesbery
reported that no significant elevation ofalumi-
num was found in either study.

.\'e.\'t. pathologist Daniel Perl. of New York‘s
Mt. Sinai Medical Center. took his place be-
hind the podium. l’erl. in his mid—40s with
black wavy hair and a well—trimmed mous—
tache. has also been using the LAMMA in his
continuing study ofthe aluminum hypothesis.
He reported the recent study of 18 different
Alzheimer‘s brains at Mt. Sinai. all of which
were found to have significant elevations of
aluminum in the telltale tangles. I’erl con—
cluded that aluminum toxicity plays a definite
role in Alzheimer‘s.

“l’eople attending this session thought we
just might have our boxing gloves on." Mark
esbeiy says. a smile easing onto his face. "It
was a very nice little session—it attracted a lot
of attention. extra time was left for questions,
and we came out of it very well. I think." He
adds that “it‘s still a controversial area. very
controversial.

“Bill [Ehmannl and I set out to see if we
could corroborate the findings of Perl and
some others. since there‘s obvious value in
researchers reaching the same conclusions
Bill and I have worked together on this study
for a long time.“ says Markesbery. also a
professor of pathology and neurology. "we
have looked at a large number of Alzheimer—
diseased brains and have built into our work
a large number of controls. In our studies.
aluminum was not elevated."

Ehmann adds that several other research
groups from around the country have also
failed to confirm significant differences in the
bulk brain levels of aluminum. "Several
research groups in the [18. and in Europe
have also been unable to confirm the alumi—
num hypothesis." Ehmann says. “Research—

ers at Case Western Reserve. St. Elizabeth‘s
Hospital in Washington. DC. at [CIA and in
Belgium have also failed to detect elevated
aluminum in the Alzheimer brain. People
have applied the very best modern analytical
techniques. and what it comes down to is that
this determination is a very difficult problem.
And no one should be too easily critical that
people come up with different results."
How do Markesbery and Perl account for
these divergent findings? "In using the
LAMMA," I’erl says. "we‘re working with an
extremely sensitive instrument. The repeated
firing of the laser. how it focuses and how the
detector works all tend to become less stan-
dardized through time with continual use.
and all of these differences can affect what
the spectrum will look like." Markesbery
believes that environmental differences may
be the key. “Keep in mind that we have
studied only the brains of Alzheimer's victims

National Institute on Aging data says

that there may be four million Alzheimer’s

victims nationwide.

who lived in Kentucky. The air quality in their
immediate environment. the possibility of a
lower level oftoxins in the water they drank—
these may be factors that account for the
differences between Dan's findings and ours.“

Both groups—at Mt. Sinai and at UK—agree
that the LAMMA is the best available instru—
ment for the microscopic study they are under—
taking. (This instrument was purchased by
UK as part of the recent 820 million bond
issue.) In the “LAMMA room" on the third
floor of the Chemistry~Physics building.
Markesbery, Ehmann and graduate student
Mark Lovell analyze their samples. First. a
brain sample 1/2 micron thick (a micron is
one millionth of a meter) is placed in the
LAMMA microprobe. Inside. two laser beams
converge to form one powerfully focused

continued on page 4

5 ODYSSEY

ODYSSEY 4

W/illiam Mar/earlier)!

Both internationally known experts
on Alzheimer’s reached signiﬁcantly
different conclusions on the role

of aluminum in Alzheimer’s disease.

beam. This resultant beam is trained on a
particular cell. magnified 1250 times, and a
hole is blown by the laser into the chosen part
of that cell (the cytoplasm. where the neu»
rofibillaiy tangles appear. for example). This
"shot" area of the cell is instantly vaporized,
and positive ions are propelled onto a detec—
tor. This energy exchange is calculated by a
computer; then the information is translated
into a mass spectrum, a graph of peaks and

valleys. which can be punched Lip onto a
computer screen. The area under each peak
represents the amount of a trace element.

Despite their divergent findings. the two
groups of researchers, Ehmann says. are very
friendly. “We exchange ideas. we exchange
samples. It is not antagonistic in any way.
After all. everybody is trying to find the truth—
we need to know what [be [#1777ij el em is
that causes the disease." Ehmann says. Markes—
bery adds that the co—chairman of the session
in San Francisco made an important summary
statement. “Bob [Terry] said something Iothe
effect that “this is what makes neuropathology
so great we can have disagreements and
people work together to try and solve the
problem.” One result ofthe conference is that
Markesbery may soon travel to Perl's laboratory
in New York and Perl may bring some of his
samples to UK for analysis.

Markesbery says that the aluminum hy—
pothesis is a reasonable one. “Aluminum is
the third most common element in the earth—
it‘s all over the place. We purify our water
with alum, so we drink aluminum every day.
We get aluminum in our antacids. in some of
the buffered aspirin compounds. in under—
arm deodorant; there‘s aluminum dust in the
air of every room in your house,"

And Markesbery and Ehmann emphasize
that various trace elements continue to be
primary suspects in the etiology ofAlzheimer‘s.
Ehmann explains that some trace elements
are important in the body's metabolic proc—
esses. while others are nonessential and occur
in the body as a result of the person‘s environ—
ment.

In their search for an element that may
trigger the slide into Alzheimer‘s. the research—
ers are shifting their attention to another
pervasive metal that is well known as a neural
toxin.

lrhough lihmann and Markesbeiy found

no significant eleyation of aluminum in
their samples. they haye found high leyels of
am >ther trace elernentﬁmercury. "I 'sing new
tron actiyation analysis. we have consistently
found mercury to be eleyated in patients with
.‘\l/heimer‘s disease." Markesbery says.

He e\p|ains that one of the major areas of
the brain in\ol\ ed in Alzheimer‘s is called the
nucleus basalis of .\Ieynert (named after the
\iennese neurologist who first detected its
imponancet. lt‘sinthisareathatacetylcholine.
a neuri)chemical that has a lot to do with
memory. is made, "The major biochemical
defect that has been found is in acetylcholine,
and in this area of the brain weye found a
striking eleyation of mercury. the highest
cle\ation of any trace element we'ye studied
so far." .\larkesbery says.

In a ret ent in\ estigation of possible mercury
toxrc ity. lihmann and Markesbery used a
process called sttbrcellttlar fractionation l)a\'e
\\'enstrup. a graduate sttident in chemistry.
used .»\l/heimer”s brains taken at autopsy. He
first t hopped some of the frozen brain tissue
into small pieces. then ground these in a
Ill( Mar and pestle, To break down the nuclei
of the cells. the brain tissue \\ as then placed
in an ultra~centrifuge separator. which re—
sembles a toprloading washing machine.
l’laced into test tubes inside the separator. the
brain fragments were spun at different rates
and the fragments. because of their different
densities. separated from one another.

"\Vhat we wanted to do was find out where
the chemical imbalances occurred." lihmann
says “\\’ere they in the nucleus, the mito—
chrondia. the microsomes?" "\V'e found mer—
cury to be significantly eleyated in the subcels
lttlar fraction. and most highly eleyated in the
microsomes.” explains .\larkesbery. “So if
you look at the whole piece of brain or you
break it down. you still find an eleyation of
mercury."

lf high concentrations of mercttry do get
into the brain. where does the mercury come
from? "\V'e haye lots of rnercuty in the
enyironment." Markesbery says. "()byiously
in our fillingsiour amalgams are filled with

W/il/iam E/Jmamz

mercury. There is mercury in fish. tuna. for
instance, and it‘s used as a fungicide in paint."

"Mercury has been known as a neural toxin
for years." Ehmann adds. "\V'here did the term
Mad as a hatter~ come from? \V'ell. the people
who tnade hats in England used hot solutions
of mercury salts or eyen hot mercury itself to
shape felt hats. As a result. many ofthe people
in the hat business had mental disease from
mercury exposure."

“And theres a disease that‘s fairly well
known called Minamata disease." .\Iarkesbery
adds, "This was preyalent in the 1930s among
those who ate sea food from Minemata Bay.
japan. which contained excessive amounts of
alkyl mercury compounds. They suffered
nerye cell degeneration and seyere neurol—
ogic and mental disabilities."

In the deger‘ieratiye process of the All.—
heimer brain. Markesbery emphasizes the role
ofthe blood brain barrier. a sort of membrane
border patrol whose job it is to keep toxic

( (writ/tied on page H

3 ODYSSEY

William Ehmann:
From Meteorites to Dendrites

As a graduate student, William Ehmann
spent a lot of his time in outer space.

True, he could be physically accounted for
on the campus of Carnegie Tech (now Carne—
gie—Mellon University), but his thoughts often
ranged as far as the asteroid belt between Mars
and Jupiter. “My PhD. work involved looking
for radioactivities in meteorites. By looking at
the radioactivities, produced by cosmic rays
from both the sun and outer space, it’s pos-
sible to determine the length of time the
meteorite has been in space," says Ehmann.
Back then, in the mid-1950s. he had no inkling
that this work would eventually lead him to
the study of trace elements in the brains of
Alzheimer's victims.

Ehmann mentions that in those days mete—
orites were very valuable and hard to come
by. Almost all meteorites were in museums or
private collections. so researchers were forced
to work with small amounts of the material in
their analyses of low levels of radioactivity.

For his post—doctoral work. Ehmann went
west to Chicago. where he was supported by
an award from the National Science Founda-
tion. "There. at the Argonne National Labora-
tory. I met Dr. john Huizenga." Ehmann says,
"and started to look at the chemical composi~
tion of meteorites by using neutr<)n—activation
analysis." He mentions that at this time many
theories of the origins of the elements were
being proposed and that some of the data
scientists used in forming these theories were
based on the elemental composition of mete—
orites. "These are the oldest bodies we can get
hold of in our solar system." Ehmann says.
“and since they have gone through much less
‘processing' than the earth. they are closer to
the original material from which the solar
system was formed." He explains that the
earth, in contrast, has changed significantly
because of weathering and volcanism.

At the University of Kentucky a few years
later, Ehmann continued his analysis of mete‘
orites. ‘We worked on meteorites here for the
next ten years, with grants from what was then
the US. Atomic Energy Commission. provid—
ing data for the theories of nucleosynthesis—

E/Jmann in 1968 with a moon sample brought
backﬁom the 1968 Apollo Mission

ODYSSEY ()

the process by which the heavier elements are
produced from hydrogen in the stars.“

Then in 1968, Ehmann was selected to be
among the few scientists in the world to
analyze samples of the moon. “When NASA
began planning its lunar mission. the Apollo
mission. they began looking for scientists who
had expertise in handling and analyzing small
samples of materials from space. They had no
idea the mission would be so successful. They
originally thought the earlier missions would
come back with just a few handfuls of material
to divide up among hundreds of people doing
various projects,“ says Ehmann. So the selec—
tion process centered on researchers who had
proven they could do a lot with a little
material.

“This was terrifically exciting because there
were only about 100 groups worldwide that
were chosen 100 l).I.s——and I was the sole
principal investigator on this NASA grant.”

In the nine years that followed, Ehmann
analyzed dozens of lunar rock and lunar soil
samples. and he was one of the few research—
ers that were sent samples from the U.S.S.R.
afterits Luna~16space mission in 1971. “These
samples came from Moscow and were tiny.
The Russians didn‘t have manned missions to
the moon, of course, so what they brought
back was scooped up by a robotic arm.“

Ehmann says that after this nine—year pe—
riod, researchers probably "knew as much or
more about the chemistry of the surface ofthe
moon as about the chemistry of the surface of
the earth." The most significant finding, he
says. was that the moon was not as primitive
as scientists had hoped and. as a result, was
not a good sample for the study of the earliest
history of the solar system. "Actually, the
moon—with its volcanic activity has under-

gone a lot of the same processes as the earth,”
Ehmann says. “We didn’t find any deposits of
diamonds or gold or other exotic things. It‘s
very ordinary volcanic material."

It was at about this time, in the late ‘70s, that
Ehmann was approached by William
Markesbery, director of the Sanders-Brown
Center on Aging, and asked to consider a new
challenge. “One day my friend Bill Markesbery
casually mentioned to me that people were
suggesting aluminum might have something
to do with Alzheimer‘s disease, and he asked
whether I could measure aluminum in brain
tissue. Well, we measured aluminum in lunar
rocks and meteorites—it’s very easy to do. So
I naively said, ‘Sure, no problem, easy to do.‘
And of course I knew nothing about brains at
all."

Ehmann admits that in shifting his focus
from lunar samples to the human brain he
literally went from a rock to a hard place. "The
composition of the brain is vastly different,
and the elements of interest are much less in
the brain. Aluminum, for instance, in a rock
sample might be a fraction of a percent to
several percent; in the brain its parts per
million or less."

He says that there is also the problem of
variability. “Human populations are not all
the same—people treat themselves differ—
ently. They eat different things; they live in
different areas. Rocks,“ he concludes,“are a
bit more predictable."

Ehmann himself confesses to enjoying the
unpredictable. “I enjoy a diversity of prob-
lems. I’m not the sort of person who likes to
do only one thing all the time. I like new chal—
lenges. And wherever it might come from, I
look forward to the next one".

" ODYSSEY

ODYSSEY 8

cum/itiled/rm” page 7'

elements out of the brain. “The nerve cells in
the brain are sensitive, so even small amounts
of a toxin can affect them. Perhaps in the case
of Alzheimer‘s patients. this barrier is some—
how weakened so that larger amounts of

Within the next ﬁve

years, we’re probably
going to have a drug that will
enhance memory.

toxins penetrate and alter the nerve cells."

Whether it turns out that mercury plays a
major role or not in the etiology of Alz—
heimer‘s. both Ehmann and Markesbery agree
that the disease is probably the result of
multiple factors. "There are some very bright
researchers who believe that all cases of
Alzheimer‘s are inherited." Markesbery says.
“I dont believe that. but at least ﬁO to 40
percent are familial. or inherited. and we‘re
starting to understand which genes these
patients carry that are associated with the
disease."

"It‘s becoming clearer and clearer." Ehmann
adds. “that Alzheimer‘s isn‘t caused by some—
thing simple. just as cancer is not caused by
something simple. It‘s quite possible that a
genetic defect such as familial Alzheimer‘s
makes the brain susceptible to a neuronal
toxin. perhaps mercury. that can then pene—
trate the cell wall where it wouldn‘t enter in a
system that didn‘t have that defect." It is even
possible. though both researchers believe it to
be improbable, that Alzheimer‘s disease is
caused by a generalized metabolic defect in
all brain cells or that it is caused by a slow—
acting virus.

Although the cause or causes of the disease
remain elusive. Markesbery points out that in
the past five or six years an immense amount

of information has been gathered. "Funding
l‘rom federal and private agencies has al-
lowed researchers to accumulate a lot of new
data. There are 15 centers around the
country evaluating large numbers of patients
and doing autopsies, and that data is all
being put into data banks.“ Currently. the
centers are working together to create a
computer network so that all information
can soon be shared.

And while Markesbery doesn‘t believe this
data analysis is likely to lead to a cure—at
least anytime soon—he does think that it can
lead to the eventual prevention of the dis
ease. “Prevention is the correct term. really.
because the changes that take place in the
brain are so severe that it is highly unlikely
we will find a drug or drugs to reverse that
process. So what we have to do is prevent
it."

Prevention. .\larkesbery admits. is going to
become more and more crucial as the poer
lation as a whole continues to live longer.
The rate ofthose with “probable Alzheimer‘s"
(the disease can be positively identified only
at autopsy) rises sharply with age: three per—
cent olthose between ()3 and ‘t stiffer from
the disease. and almost half of people over
83 are victims. Based on that data. the
National Institute on Aging says that there
may be four million Alzheimer‘s victims na—
tionwide. And with the overvh‘i population
set to quadruple. given the aging of those
born during the baby boom and longer life
expectancy. there could be as many as 1 t
million Americans with Alzheimer's disease
by the middle of the 21st century.

With no cure in sight and with an increas—
ing number of people nationwide being die
agnosed with Alzheimer‘s. what keeps re—
searchers and caregivers from becoming de—
moralized?

"The possibility in our research that we
might understand the etiology ofthe disease.
how it progresses. is extremely challenging
and worthwhile." says Ehmann. “it‘s a chali
lenge to do something about a situation

that‘s affecting four million people in the L78.
If we can find some answers. that would be
wonderful."

"liach Alzheimer patient and each family
feels the pain of Alzheimer‘s disease differ—
ently." says Markesbery. who also regularly
meets with and counsels patients and their
families. "There is no more dehumanizing
disease in the world than Alzheimer‘s disease.
so it‘s true that it‘s depressing. but when you
meet one < >fthese individuals. that only under
scores the magnitude of the problem. If I
hadn‘t wanted to be a part of something this
exciting and wanted instead to do something
to make people happy. I think the ideal job
\\ould have been to go ottt and drive an ice
cream truck and tnake all the children in the
\\orld happy. But some of us chose not to go
into the (iood Humor Business and got in—
\'< >lved instead in things that are a little tougher.”

At present. Markesbeiy says. virtually the
only treatment for Alzheimer‘s victims is to
al|e\iate the anxiety and depression that of—
ten result :\round .20 drugs are under devel—
opment. [110% ofthem aimed at improving pa-
tients' memory and cognitive abilities.

"\V'ithin the next five years. were probably
going to have a drug that will enhance mem—
ory." \Iarkesbery says. "There are too many
drttg companies working on this and too
many Ingenious pharmac<>logists for this not
to happen." The development ofsuch a drug
\vould keep people functional for a longer
period of time and perhaps keep them out of
nursing homes. It would also decrease the
cost of Alzheimer’s considerably at the front
end and allo\\ people to have a better life.

Mar/e Lovell, from Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, is using the LAM/WA to complete his
dissertation, which will focus on the toxic trace—element hypothesis ofAlz/Jeimer ’5
disease.

.\larkesbeiy says.

He emphasizes the point that although
Alzheimer‘s patients can't be cured. they can
be helped, "\X'hat you hope for is that
somebody will love them and care for them
becattse there is no way to reverse the disease.
and the basic drive we all have is the need to
be loved. Beyond anything medicine and
physicians can do. we have to do our best to
care for one another. Basically. that's the
message of life".

9 ODYSSEY

Engineering Success: Role Models
Encourage Minorities and Women

6.7:.

6}: Elizabeth Hansen

efore young people can dream ol‘being
doctors or scientists or engineers. they
must understand what doctors. scien—
tists and engineers do. They must also see
people like themselyes in those roles. With
out such Visualization, young people cannot
dream of what they might be. And without
dreams. they won‘t become.
Two Uniyersity of Kentucky recruitment
programs have a common goal: to increase
the number of minorities and
women choosing science
and math~related ca—
reers. While both
programs use role
models to increase
students' interest.
they are aimed at
students at opposite
ends of the educa—
tional spectrum. Pro]?
ect SMAR’I‘ (Science.
Mathematics and Riss
ing Talent) targets
minority chil—

ODYSSEY 10

dren in grades three. four. and the Pt )\X"l{R-
MS (Production of Women Engineering Role
Models). on the other hand, is designed to in
crease the number of women pursuing Phi),
degrees in chemical engineering

Both programs developed in response to
labor market predictions and statistics regard
ing the number of minorities and women in
scientific fields. By the year Zuni). women and
minorities will constitute about 83 percent of
the new entrants into an American job market
that demands employees skilled in science.
mathematics and technology, Yet few minori—
ties and women are choosing careers in sci
ence. In 198‘). only four African Americans rev
ceiyed doctoral degrees in science or math in
the l‘nited States. The proportion of black
students in His sciencebaWd professional
programs—such as medicine and dentistry—
is less than halftheir proportion of Kentucky's
population. \V'hile women t ( institute about 38
percent of undergraduate chemical engineer-
ing maiors nationally. only about 1}» percent of
l’lt.l ). candidates are female. And \\‘< mien ac-
count for only three percent ofchemical engis
neering faculty

The {K faculty members who initiated and
direct the SMART and l’( )\\L'l’.R-_\l_\ programs
hope their efforts will help change these
statistics.

l’roiect SMART arose from frustrations felt
by‘iohn \\'iggs. director of l ‘K's heaitli careers
program. and members of that programs
adyisory board. \V‘iggs has conducted a
number of shortsterm recruitment and retenv
tion programs aimed at minority high school
and college students. ’l‘hos‘e programs are
beneficial and wiil continue to be offered.
\V'iggs says. but they haye not increased the
number of minorities choosing heaitlisrelated
L‘Li l‘ee rs.

"\V'hat we ended up doing was not increas«
ing the size of the pool at ali but vying with
other universities for the same students.“ \V'iggs
says.

Research shows that interest in science and
mathematics begins early. perhaps as early as
second or third grade. “So we thought our
intetyention programiany inten‘ention pro-
gram—should start at least that early." \‘yiggs
says. lirom that premise. Project SMART
eyolyed as an early inten'ention program to

It:

enrich the science and mathematics experi—
ences of elementary—aged children. It does
not replace the regular math and science cur—
riculum. Now in its se