Of worms and men
What do worms have to do with the health of humanity? This is the question Trinity Western University professor Eve Stringham answered in her inaugural lecture as the Canadian Research Chair (CRC) in Developmental Genetics and Disease.
Members of the administration, staff, faculty, student body and community packed Block Hall on Nov. 8 to attend the lecture entitled, “Of worms and men: what model organisms tell us about human disease.”
Stringham is the third TWU professor to be granted a CRC, following Dr. Jens Zimmerman’s appointment in religion, interpretation and culture and Dr. Peter Flint’s selection for Dead Sea Scrolls research.
Stringham will receive $330,000 in research grants as part of her appointment to assist in continuing her research of developmental genetics and disease.
Many special guests joined Stringham for this celebration: attendees included Dr. Peter Candido, Stringham’s doctoral supervisor at the University of British Columbia; long-time colleague and fellow CRC Dr. Louis Lefebvre; and Member of Parliament Mark Warawa. Also present were Michelle Chow and Andy Miller, representatives of Olympus Canada, who donated the lab equipment necessary to conduct Stringham’s research.
After a communal singing of the national anthem, President Jonathon Raymond greeted guests, saying, “It’s good for a university to celebrate the most positive moments in its life.”
Dr. Jack Van Dyke, Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, then introduced Stringham to the audience. He commented on her “passion” and “contribution to the [NATS] faculty,” citing her numerous published papers, extensive research and consistent commitment to bring a Christian perspective to the sciences.
Stringham began her lecture with a story of how her young son discovered science. “We are all born with an innate curiosity about the world we live in,” she said. This segued into an outline of her main research.
The premise is simple: how can cell activity in simple organisms (such as worms) teach scientists about cells in the human body?
Stringham’s research looks at specific cells that are found in both worms and humans to track their habits and changes in order to answer that question. These studies will hopefully lead to breakthroughs in aging, diabetes and cancer research. Who knew, she said, “that the fountain of youth could be found by studying a worm?”
The response was given by friend Dr. Louis Lefbvre. He deemed the night an “important—perhaps historical—moment in the history of TWU.”
Lefbvre spoke warmly of his colleague, commenting on her intense perseverance in academia as both a female scientist and a mother – two rarities in the scientific fields.
After the lecture, guests were invited to tour Stringham’s new lab in the Neufeld Science Centre and enjoy a reception complete with appetizers, cake, punch and, of course, gummy worms.
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