By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� It was the proximity that brought Louis Theriault to Washington State University Tri-Cities, but it has been the valuable opportunities that have made him successful as a student and so far in his goal of becoming a civil engineer.

Theriault was homeschooled for most of his life, taking courses through the Mid-Columbia Partnership offered by the Kennewick School District. So when he had the opportunity to take running start classes at the university level at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, he thought he would give it a go.

The option turned out to be a perfect fit. Theriault completed his entire general education requirements for his university degree in two years at no cost to him through running start, all before entering as a full-time student at 黑料社 Tri-Cities. Before entering as a junior standing, he applied for and was awarded the STEM Scholars scholarship, which would pay for $8,400 per year for up to four academics years in tuition. And in his remaining few years at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, he could dive right into his engineering classes.

As a result of connections he had built at 黑料社 Tri-Cities, Theriault landed an internship at the Bechtel National campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this summer, which paired perfectly with what he had learned and is continuing to learn in his engineering classes.

The combination of the experiences, he said, has provided him with the foundation to be successful both in his career and as a young professional.

鈥淚鈥檝e had an amazing experience here at 黑料社 Tri-Cities,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he combination of what I鈥檝e learned through my classes, my internship at Bechtel, and even opportunities for student life activities on campus, has allowed me to stretch myself as an individual and learn lots about my path as an engineer and as a professional.鈥�

Small classes, large potential

In his courses, Theriault said he continues to learn essential engineering fundamentals and theory that applies directly to his future work as an engineer. And in conjunction with his work, his small class sizes have allowed him to really get to know his classmates, which he formed study groups with and therefore, a tight-knit peer group that he could count on.

Combining those things with getting to know his professors and their teaching styles, he has been able to excel in his engineering classes and thrive on campus.

鈥淭he personalization of the courses here and all of the individualized attention through the small classes has been really nice,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to ask our professors questions because we get to know them. And I鈥檓 in a lot of the same classes as my peers throughout my time here at 黑料社 Tri-Cities.鈥�

From course work to dream work

Through his internship this summer, he was able to apply what he鈥檚 learned and experienced in his classes to his job.

His work this summer focused on designing a support structure for a tank pertaining to the nuclear industry. He was responsible for the design, calculations to ensure that it would support the structure and for getting it reviewed and approved by his peers. By the end of the experience, he had an approximately 30-page report detailing the design. The support structure will be implemented to support a tank in the next several years.

Theriault said not only did the experience provide him with real-world, on-the-job skills in engineering, but it was an opportunity that allowed him to directly put to use all the things he had learned in his classes and more.

Theriault said he has been invited back for another summer experience next year. He hopes it will throttle him into a full-time job after graduating in the spring of 2020.

鈥淚 think that practical experience is crucial,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am going into week three in some of my courses, and I know exactly what they鈥檙e talking about before we get to that material. I鈥檝e been able to already apply some of those ideas. It鈥檚 been a big learning curve, but it鈥檚 definitely increased my knowledge, for sure.鈥�

Feeling at home through student life

In addition to his academic experiences, Theriault also formerly served as a student ambassador with the 黑料社 Tri-Cities Office of Admissions. He gave campus tours and presented to students a genuine feel for what he had experienced through 黑料社 Tri-Cities.

He also participates in many of the campus activities. Whether it be resource fairs and networking events held by the Office of Student Life and the Career Development Office, or fun activities between classes in the Student Union Building or in the Floyd Atrium as hosted by the Student Entertainment Board, he said he tries to participate in as much as he can.

鈥淚t鈥檚 these types of activities that really help students get involved and have fun on campus,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 try to go to as many of the campus events as I can. I really appreciate that they have so many options for students, in addition to the academic-based activities and events.鈥�

For more information on the 黑料社 Tri-Cities engineering programs, visit聽.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Vincent Danna (鈥�17) was in middle school when he lost all of his hair.

He suffers from a condition known as alopecia universalis, which is when the immune system mistakenly attacks the hair follicles. His personal struggle led him to want to become a dermatologist and help those who experience serious skin diseases and other ailments.

鈥淚t sounds silly,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut my experience really spiked my interest in wanting to help other people through medicine.鈥�

His passion led him to pursue a degree in biological sciences at Washington State University Tri-Cities, which in turn helped him land an internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). He continues to conduct cancer research with the computational biology group at PNNL.

He plans to use both experiences to get into a good medical school so that as a doctor, he can help others with similar and more serious medical conditions.

Real-world cancer research

At PNNL, Danna and his colleagues are analyzing ovarian cancer data in order to digitally categorize the productivity of what are called kinases. Kinases are enzymes within a cell that modify proteins and play a major role in the process of cell division.

Under the supervision of his PNNL mentor, Jason McDermott, Danna鈥檚 research focuses on identifying whether certain kinases are significantly overregulated or underregulated within cancer cells, which could demonstrate how kinases lead to the formation of malignant tumors. Targeting dysregulated kinases, he said, has the potential to stop the spread of the cancer, or to prevent it from developing altogether.

This spring, the team analyzed kinase data from 69 ovarian cancer patients. Danna said their results are promising.

鈥淐ancer is essentially the over-replication of cells,鈥� Danna said. 鈥淐hemotherapy targets fast-growing cells, but that can affect the whole body, as well as normal cells, which is why patients typically lose their hair. With our research, we hope to target something more specific, like a kinase or a gene.鈥�

In the future, he said individuals may be able to take a drug or another inhibitor to suppress or better regulate those kinases.

鈥淭argeted therapy is recognized as being one of the healthier and more beneficial methods in treating patients with ovarian cancer,鈥� he said.

Danna and his colleagues at PNNL are now investigating whether dysregulated kinases have implications for phenotypes. Phenotypes are an organism鈥檚 gene-expressed observable characteristics, such as hair color. The outcome could help predict a patient鈥檚 lifespan and ability to fight ovarian cancer.

鈥淭he goal of that research is improving that patient鈥檚 quality of life and and to give them a better estimation of what they鈥檙e dealing with,鈥� he said.

Additionally, Danna and other PNNL researchers are using similar processes to examine patient resistance or sensitivity to a type of cancer treatment called platinum therapy. The therapy uses platinum compounds to produce changes in the DNA structure as a way of treating specific cancers, including ovarian cancer.

Medical school and beyond

Danna said his science and statistics courses at 黑料社 Tri-Cities gave him the ideal foundation for being successful with his work at PNNL. He said gaining the biological knowledge, as well as developing the statistical analysis skills to understand the computational side of writing code and programming through his internship, is what gave him the background to be successful with his position at PNNL.

Combining his academic knowledge with the opportunity to work on research that has real-world medical applications, has given him a realistic look at how medical research is done, and as a result, is experience he can someday use as a doctor, he said.

鈥淚t feels good that the research I鈥檓 completing will hopefully make a difference in the lives of future cancer patients,鈥� he said.

Danna plans to take the Medical College Admission Test this spring and apply to medical schools soon afterward. He is currently considering the 黑料社 Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine as an option.

Looking to the future, he is excited to lead his own medical initiatives that one-day might positively impact the lives of patients.

鈥淚 know what it鈥檚 like to suffer from a condition that can affect your physical and even emotional well-being,鈥� Danna said. 鈥淚 hope to make a difference in the lives of my own patients, someday.鈥�