Talati to spend the summer in Germany

Michelle Amaral, Staff Writer
Published On: 03/24/2008

Pratik Talati, a UAB undergraduate student majoring in chemistry and math, has been selected to receive a scholarship through the Research Internships in Science and Engineering program that will enable him to conduct research in a lab at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany this summer. This program is made possible by the German Academic Exchange Service, which seeks to introduce people in all stages of academia to available opportunities for study and research in Germany.

“I was thrilled to hear that I was granted an opportunity to perform research at my first choice institution! I’ve never been to Germany before, and this scholarship promises to be a great learning experience for me,” said Talati.
The application process for the RISE program begins once participating doctoral students in Germany submit proposals describing their current research project in such science disciplines as chemistry, physics and biology.

Undergraduate students in the United States and Canada then choose three projects of interest and apply accordingly. It is highly recommended that the undergraduate applicant possess research experience, a suggestion that did not pose a problem for Talati, who has worked in a lab on campus for over a year and continues to impress his laboratory mentor every day.

“I am very happy that Pratik received this award,” said Rita Cowell, Ph.D. and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurobiology at UAB. “He is a very bright and ambitious student, while still being very personable and enthusiastic in the laboratory. Since he joined my laboratory in Jan. 2007, he has learned techniques quickly and has trained many others in the lab. As evidence of his productivity: he co-authored an abstract for an international meeting and for a manuscript in preparation. I look forward to working with him to complete his senior thesis research project, and I think he has a very promising future.”

Of course, no scholarship program would be complete without requiring the applicant to be in good academic standing with the university. Talati has proven to be the epitome of the model student, according to Jackie Nikles, Ph.D. and associate professor of chemistry, who is also Talati’s current organic chemistry II professor.

“Pratik is an outstanding student. He is very serious about his coursework and clearly puts a lot of effort into it. He is a rarity in that he doesn’t just want a grade, he wants to have a firm understanding of the material we are covering,” said Nikles.

Talati’s bright attitude towards his coursework only contributes to his success as a student.

“Pratik is one of the most outgoing students I have,” said Nikles. “He takes everything in stride, successes and failures alike. For example, we have a polymer design exercise in the organic I honors lab in the fall. Pratik’s polymers were extremely difficult to work with which made getting analytical data difficult. He didn’t complain, and in fact, wanted to do some additional experiments! He is just so incredibly enthusiastic. I wish I had 20 more students just like him. I am not surprised that he has been awarded this scholarship. He is certainly deserving of it.”

This summer, Talati will head to the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry to focus on characterizing novel stress-regulated genes in mice, a project that could eventually contribute information regarding stress responses in humans.

“The ultimate goal is to identify the function of these new genes in the stress system to offer possible therapeutic applications in the treatment of stress-related disorders in humans,” said Talati. “In order to do this, I will be working with eight day-old mice and perform maternal separation and treat them during the stress period pharmacologically. Afterwards we will do brain dissections and perform in situ hybridization and evaluate the results.”

As for the future, Talati plans to continue his academic training.

“My future goals are to obtain dual degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics. From there, I plan on obtaining a MS in Biostatistics and then applying to an MSTP program to pursue a joint MD/PhD degree.”

Email: MAmaral@nrc.uab.edu