Becoming the national leader in experiential ... - Keuka College

tler ler ’01
Tom Fougerousse
It was Klinge’s Field
Period experiences her
freshman and senior years
at Keuka that most impacted
the path she took after
receiving her bachelor’s
degree in biology.
Klinge said the Field
Period she completed her
freshman year served as her
first exposure to biomedical
research. Her last Field
Period exposed Klinge to
human cytogenetics, which
led to her decision to pursue
a master’s degree in
genetics.
Klinge received a M.S. in
genetics in 1981 and a
Ph.D. in pharmacology in
1984 from Penn State
University’s Milton S.
Hershey College of
Medicine. She went on to
do her post-doctoral fellowship
at the University of
Rochester School of
Medicine.
While living in
Rochester, Klinge was
active in the Keuka College
Alumni Association, and
served as president for two
terms.
“One of my goals as
president was to strengthen the ties of
alumnae and alumni to current students,”
said Klinge, who received the Eleanor
Judd Wilkes Service to Keuka Award in
1997.
Robinson said Klinge’s advice is what
influenced her to apply to the University
of Louisville School of Medicine.When
she arrived in Louisville for her Field
Period last year, she had no intention of
attending the University. Originally, the
Sayre, Pa., native wanted to stay close to
home during graduate school.
“I thought it (the Field Period) would
look good on applications [to other graduate
schools],” said Robinson.
After taking Klinge’s advice to apply
to Louisville, Robinson subsequently
interviewed with the school, and learned
she had been accepted when she returned
home.
“I felt more comfortable at Louisville,”
said Robinson,“probably because I had
already done a Field Period there.”
Tom Fougerousse
On her fall 2002 rotation with Klinge,
Robinson researched how estrogens stimulate
the progression of breast cancer and
how tumors can become resistant to
Tamoxifen. She is continuing this work
for her Ph.D. thesis.
Two weeks into her Field Period in
the Klinge Lab, King said the experience
was “going extremely well.”
“I’m learning more than I expected,”
said the junior biology major and
Binghamton native whose concentration is
biomedical studies.
King’s primary research project during
her Field Period sought to explain why
more women smokers than men smokers
develop lung cancer.
Among King’s goals for the Field
Period experience were becoming more
proficient in the laboratory and confirming
her interest in pursing research as a
career.
King said she wants to enter a
M.D./Ph.D. dual degree, medical scientist
training program after Keuka, which the
University of Louisville School of
Medicine offers. King said after eight years
of study in such a program, she would be
able to pursue a career that combines
medical practice with research.
And, in eight years, King could be
another example of a Keuka alumna giving
back to her alma mater by enhancing
the Field Period experiences of others.
Sara King ’04 completed
her January Field Period
in Carolyn Klinge’s ’79
lab at the U of L.