Editorial

Joy and frustration

Putting a research magazine together is a task of joy and of frustration.

The joy is in talking to researchers who are enthusiastic about their work. Scott Pleasant is joyful that the hard work of faculty members and students at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital brought a wonderful mare back from a horrible case of laminitis — saving her life. Bruce Vogelaar is over the moon about a new laboratory 1,700 feet under the earth to study particles from the sun. Zach Adelman and Kevin Myles are delighted with their mosquitoes whose eyes glow red or green, bringing researchers closer to understanding the insect’s immune response to pathogens that can cause human disease if the mosquito is not immune.

There is also joy in seeing the results from Bob Fields’ design class when we give his students stories, such as about the mosquito research and about how we use our kitchens. For instance, Richard Miller researched Rube Goldberg’s art with a delightful result. I have to admit that I would have used Miller’s work even if it had nothing to do with the research being presented.

We are joyful that we can tell you such stories and bring you the students’ illustrations and photos from the researchers, Virginia Tech’s photographers, and even from around the country — FEMA, Fermilab, and the National Park Service in this issue — and around the world — people in Italy and Madagascar.

We are frustrated that we cannot tell you more — more stories and more about each story.

Equine nutrition consists of more than a fat horse study. Virginia Tech has been doing research on forages, causes of inflammation, exercise, and much more for many years. But the discovery from a small study of 300 horses that obesity is a bigger problem than previously reported was a good way to tell a story.

And mosquitoes and their disease-ridden baggage is a huge story. Many more people are involved than were mentioned. For instance, Ph.D. student Michael Perfetti won a first place for his poster at the Dean’s Forum on Health, Food, and Nutrition for work with Webster Santos, assistant professor of chemistry, to discover inhibitors of proteases involved in malaria infection. Perfetti’s research is focused on inhibiting falcilysin, a hemoglobin degrading enzyme essential for the growth and development of the malaria pathogen, Plasmodium falciparum.

Meanwhile, research continues after the article is turned in. For instance, Seema Dalal, research scientist, and Michael Klemba, assistant professor, both in biochemistry, have published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (Dec. 7, 2007) their findings regarding the specific roles of enzymes called aminopeptidases in the human malaria parasite. Their studies identified two aminopeptidases that function in the food vacuole, a compartment that specializes in the degradation of proteins from the host red blood cell. Because these enzymes appear to be required for efficient growth of the parasite, inhibitors may be effective anti-malarial drugs.

And the undergraduate student research! Ally Haak, an English major, writes for the Office of the Vice President for Research website about other undergraduates doing research. Just in time for this issue, she turned in an article about Christine George, who decided to start a sustainable mosquito-borne virus surveillance program in Mali.

Even with the frustration of being able to tell only a few stories, such stories make this university a joyous place.