Grace Homan is focused. The junior biology student from Champaign is working on the challenges of her major, but she also has plans in mind after graduation.
“I’m going to apply to the MD/Ph.D. program,” she said. “Eventually, I would like to practice medicine as a pediatrician and do some kind of medical research.”
To support this effort, Homan won a FIREbird research grant for summer 2024, making him the youngest recipient of the award that year. The grant allowed her to work in the lab of Dr. Marjorie Jones, a professor of biochemistry at Illinois State University, rather than a typical summer job for undergraduates.
FIREbird is an acronym for Faculty-mentored Independent Research Experiences. FIREbird awards are administered through the Office of Student Research and provide summer funding of up to $3,000 to undergraduate students.
“Since I got paid, I was able to focus on my research,” Homan said. “I am researching leishmaniasis and Leishmania parasites.”
After working in the lab over the summer, Homan served as a presenter at the 2024 University Research Symposium, with Jones as his mentor. She presented a poster titled “Interesting effects of tryptamine, hermine, and harmaline on Leishmania tarentolae in a shaking environment”.
Homan explained his research as follows: “I take a culture of Leishmania parasites, add tryptamine to a flask on a lab rocker, and tilt the flask back and forth. The flask is not stationary, but is rocking, which changes the environment of the host cell. Simulate.
“We want to create the internal movements of human cells and replicate them in vivo (living cells) rather than in test tubes, like in lab flasks.”
“I started getting interested in science in middle school and high school, so I reached out to multiple professors as a freshman at ISU. Dr. Jones responded and introduced me to her research. .”
Grace Homan
She said tryptamine is a hallucinogenic compound used in religious ceremonies, primarily in South America and tropical regions where leishmaniasis is prevalent.
According to Homan’s research, leishmaniasis is “considered a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is caused by the parasitic protozoan Leishmania.”
Homan found her way into research through Jones’ lab, where she works as an undergraduate researcher. She said it was important to know how a compound like Leishmania affects the individuals who use it.
“The use of these chemicals can be harmful,” she says.
Homan grew up with parents who made education their life’s work. Her mother, Dr. Valerie Robinson (M.A. ’96), is an associate professor and chair of theater studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her father, David Homan, is a high school math and science educator in Champaign. Grace Homan discovered her interest in academia during her formative years in her hometown.
“I was interested in science in middle school and high school, so I reached out to multiple professors as a freshman at ISU,” Homan said. “Dr. Jones responded and introduced me to her research.”
Jones is proud of the work Homan has already accomplished.
“Grace is an excellent student who studies hard and knows how to focus on difficult material,” Jones said. “Having her in my research group was a great experience because she wants to learn and has the skills to learn.”
In February, Ms. Homan was an undergraduate finalist in the Illinois Image of Research Competition, and her work was exhibited in the university gallery. This fall, she will present some of her research at the University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium.
“Grace is a motivated, kind and talented student who is also passionate about her future goal of becoming a doctor,” Jones said.
Homan is active in Medical Brigades ISU, a registered student organization (RSO). Earlier this year, an RSO that traveled to Panama to volunteer at a clinic was named “RSO of the Month.”
Over the summer, Homan volunteered for a week-long workshop with 12 high school students who came to gain lab experience. Jones said Homan was able to connect with the students.
“She worked so well with the high school students that they felt very comfortable asking her questions and just having a normal chat,” Jones said.
Homan said she is grateful for what she is learning from Jones and how the professor has her students’ best interests in mind.
“Dr. Jones is a good person who wants to see his students succeed and loves being in the lab and learning,” Homan said. “She loves seeing the data and results that her students find, and she loves giving opportunities to her students.
“She set me on the right path. She’s the best mentor I’ve ever had in my life.”
