P eople might be surprised by the significant contributions undergraduates make in the research enterprise at the University of Kentucky. Over my 28 years at UK, more than 100 undergraduates have performed research in my laboratory. Of these students, many went on to graduate school for the Ph.D. in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, or related fields. Others are now medical professionals, industrial chemists, professors, and lawyers. More than 40 of the 270 refereed papers and three books published from my laboratory were co-authored by undergraduates. Two of my undergraduate research students have won national awards, one for his scholarship and research results, and the other for her potential.

The great majority of undergraduates who have performed research under my aegis were from Appalachia and, especially in more recent times, the majority was female. Both women and persons from Appalachia are highly under represented in the discipline of chemistry. Accordingly, I have made a deliberate effort to recruit female and Appalachian undergraduate students to my laboratory to perform independent research. Together with similar efforts with graduate students, these approaches led to my receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring from President Clinton in the White House.

The main research thrusts of my laboratory deal with National Institutes of Heath (NIH) funded research on oxidative stress in the brains of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Students who perform research in my laboratory are involved in cutting-edge science on oxidative stress, exemplified by our findings that (1) a peptide that accumulates in the brains of AD patients causes oxidative damage to proteins and lipids in neurons; (2) there exist oxidized proteins in AD brains; and (3) proteomics has been used for the first time to identify specific oxidatively modified proteins in AD brains. New insights into potential mechanisms for neurodegeneration and their amelioration by endogenous and exogenous antioxidants have arisen from this research.