Irene Hamlin, a senior majoring in biology with a minor in medical humanities in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will receive this year's Stalker Award, in recognition of outstanding scientific scholarship with significant contributions in the arts and humanities. The award honors the late Harrison D. Stalker, a renowned evolutionary biologist and world-class photographer.
Hamlin completed research in the lab of Philip Budge, MD, PhD, at the School of Medicine, on parasitic helminth infections that cause lymphatic filariasis. Her honors thesis evaluated the use of a lectin sugar-binding protein to enhance the effectiveness of an existing diagnostic test based on antibodies to a glycoprotein from the parasite, which cross-react with another parasite.
Hamlin also developed a project at the interface of medicine and religion that explores the Roman Catholic Church's stance on anatomical dissection during the Italian Renaissance, with the guidance of Rebecca Messbarger, professor of Italian in Arts & Sciences.
