Student of the Year Award: Shane Lloyd (Pharmacology)

Over the past 26 years we have had a large number of students pass through our doors who have gone on to achieve great things. All of our students are capable of reaching high levels of success, but sometimes we come across a student whose excellence stands out above the crowd. It is so rewarding to have an opportunity to work with exceptional individuals such as these. As we watch their brilliance be put to use in the professional world, we are confident that this student is really going to do something special. To recognize this level of outstanding achievement, this year will be the beginning of what will be an annual tradition in which we will present one exceptional co-op student with the UBC Science Co-op Student of the Year Award and a cheque for $500.

For a first time award, we were pleased to see such a large number of strong applicants apply. After much deliberation, we would like to announce that 4th year Honours Pharmacology student, Shane Lloyd will be this year’s 2006 UBC Science Co-op Student of the Year. Shane was an incredible candidate, possessing a long list of achievements that are truly outstanding. Just some of the highlights include:

Winner of the 2004 NASA Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program Scholarship

This prestigious annual award is only given to two students in Canada. Recipients attend an intensive summer internship program at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Shane worked with senior NASA scientists and engineers on actual flight experiments destined for the space shuttle and international space station.

At age of 21 had already been first author in two publications and co-authored a chapter in a book Shane’s first Co-op placement was at the Osteoporosis Biomechanics Laboratory with Dr. Ted Bateman at Clemenson University in South Carolina. This NASA-funded lab required Shane to explore the adverse effects of zero gravity on the skeletal system of astronauts. Shane’s successful research resulted in the publishing of a manuscript as first author that has been submitted to the Journal of Applied Physiology. He is currently in the middle of writing a second paper that will be submitted in the spring of 2007. In addition to this, he has been co-author in two other publications. “Shane being first author on two publications and co-author on a book chapter is an accomplishment that I cannot overstate the importance of. This would be a great conclusion for any graduate student after 3+ years of work, but for him to achieve this after only eight months in my lab is truly remarkable.” says Dr. Bateman.

In the summer of 2005, Shane’s sense of initiative and adventure led him to a co-op placement with Dr. Michael Wolzt at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria. Not knowing a single word of German, nor having any experience using biochemistry techniques, Shane took on a project exploring the effects of a novel protein drugs associated with diabetes on fat and muscle cells. While that thought might intimidate some, Shane believes that “[Co-op] is the chance to explore the world and your own potential. To push your limits and see what you can achieve.” And we have no doubt about his potential for achievement. Shane’s supervisor, Dr. Haider, informed us, “I often joke with [Shane] that someday after his publication in the prestigious journal Nature that I will seek out a position in his lab. Yet, I do not joke when I say to you that [Shane] will be a premier medical scientist.”

“The demand right now is for scientists who can bring their work from ‘bench to bedside’, that is to say, scientists that can bridge the gap between often-abstract findings of the laboratory and the immediate needs of the patient” says Shane, “I have decided that a combined MD-PhD program will allow me to acquire both the practical skills of a clinician and the critical thinking of a scientist that I will need in [my] career path”. To continue on his path towards this goal, Shane will be returning to work with Dr. Bateman at the NASA research lab in South Carolina to complete a Bioengineering Masters degree after his graduation from UBC in May 2007.

With a list of achievements such as these, we are very proud to have Shane as our First Annual Science Co-op Student of the Year Award recipient.