Tag: college of science

Biochemsitry major David Hess cancer free

Senior biochemistry student David Hess has been booed by 40,000 people at Fenway Park in Boston – he was pitching a bad game. This is nothing compared to the years of chemo and radiation therapy.

After David was drafted in 2014 by the Baltimore Orioles, he made his major league debut in 2018. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent, and when he was traded to the Miami Marlins, David and his wife moved down to Miami. David was having a good season when he gradually started to feel a bit off in 2021.

“I started having shortness of breath, my ribs were popping out of place, I had to see a chiropractor on a regular basis. I thought it could be stress or COVID.”

He started to get worse, his game started to suffer and one morning, he coughed up blood, sending him to the ER. David’s blood pressure was extremely high, so they admitted him, originally thinking the culprit was stress but still wanting to run some tests.

A Diagnosis

“They performed an x-ray and came into the room. They said ‘Do you see that big shadow over your lungs? That’s not supposed to be there.”

There was a pineapple-sized, germ cell tumor on David’s lungs. The tumor was pushing his organs around and his windpipe was at 15% capacity. The doctors were amazed that David had been playing major league baseball.

Germ cell tumors are rare. As a fetus develops, cells form in eggs in the ovaries or sperm in the testicles. Rarely, these cells travel to other parts of the body and grow into germ cell tumors. The survival rate is over 90%. However, there is a chance that there may be something lurking under the tumor that is unseen and unknown.

Nine Lives

David went through nine weeks of chemotherapy and responded well.

“I went through the treatment and the good thing about this is that germ cell tumors shrink down quickly. It went from a pineapple-sized tumor down to a baseball or softball sized-tumor quickly.”

In the winter of 2022 David went in for a follow-up scan and the tumor had grown – he feared he was falling into that 5 – 10%. They started him on a rigorous 12-week treatment plan. David stayed optimistic.

“Here we go – round 2. It’s not ideal, but let’s do this.”

On the last day of David’s 12-week chemo and radiation treatment, he suffered a seizure in the doctor’s office and stopped breathing for a short time.

“I guess I am using up some of my nine lives here,” David says laughing.

When the scans came back after the round two treatment in spring of 2023, the tumor was still present. David’s oncologist sent around the scans and biopsies to different specialists around the country and one came back with some terrible news.

“The specialist called back and said, ‘I hate to do this, but this is not a germ cell tumor – this is clear and definitive angiosarcoma,’ which is a much worse diagnosis. Where we were looking at a 95% success rate, angiosarcoma is basically the opposite.”

Angiosarcoma of the lung is a rare, aggressive tumor that usually spreads from another part of the body and originates in the vascular or lymphatic system. The specialist that diagnosed David with angiosarcoma did not have any positive feedback.

“He told me to basically get my affairs in order, it was that bad. But my oncologist and my team at Greenville did not accept that.”

Staying Strong

David truly leaned on his faith, his competitive and passionate nature and his family, particularly his wife, Devin, during these times to give him strength and hope. He also always knew the end goal was to live and to live playing baseball again.

“The idea of this beating me did not cross my mind. I am also a huge Star Wars fan so through this process I felt like Hans Solo. Never tell me the odds.”

The oncologist planned to perform a lung surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible, then David would go on to treatment with the ultimate goal of an open-heart chest surgery to extract the chest mass out.

Since David knew he was going to be home during the treatment after the surgery, he began to get back into the groove of things. He started coaching a travel baseball team and in summer of 2023, he enrolled in the biochemistry program at Clemson University and took Physics I and II online over the summer.

“The lung surgery went really well. In fall 2023, I started in person classes at Clemson while I was still doing chemo and coaching a travel ball team – I guess I just don’t know how to not do things.”

A Miracle Scan

The chest surgery was planned for right before Thanksgiving. A few days before the surgery, David and his wife went in for the pre-operative appointment so the doctor could get scans of his chest to map out the surgery.

“He came in and he said, ‘I don’t know what to tell you, we don’t need to do the surgery. The treatment wasn’t supposed to work the way it did, and something has happened in the last week since your last scan.”

The tumor in David’s chest had shrunk enough to where they surgery’s risks outweighed the benefits, so he went straight into chemo and radiation therapy again. By the spring of 2024, David’s lungs had stayed clear, and his chest was stable. However, by finals week, he had spots on his lungs again. David’s new treatment plan was six months of rigorous chemo and radiation therapy.

“A whole summer of treatment into the fall – I ended up having to take the fall semester off. I was down for the count. We get to the end of the treatment and my chest had stayed stable and my lungs were looking good. We thought this might have just been a Hail Mary.”

Third Time’s a Charm

David had his first post-treatment scan in October it was looking like the treatment had worked. However, it takes three scans to be certain that the medicine is out of your system to know it’s not a false positive.

David’s December scan came back good.

“Well, you get one more and that’s called a streak!”

In spring 2025 David enrolled back into courses as a biochemistry major at Clemson. His passion resonates over to his academics and beyond. After his grandfather died of cancer, David has been interested in working in the medical field, giving back. He was so excited to be back in the classroom.

“My passion is not just about performing well in the classroom but also helping the people around me just as much as my own personal growth.”

The last week of February 2025 David went in for his third scan and though they still have to keep an eye on it, the scan comes back with no evidence of disease.

“As of this moment I can say that I am cancer-free! It’s been a wild ride.”

David lives in Greenville, SC with his wife, Devin and their two cats, Stripes and Penny. He is currently enrolled in the biochemistry program at Clemson University, coaching a travel ball team, running a podcast with his wife called The 41 Life, is actively training to get back on the baseball field and is living his beautiful cancer-free life, constantly looking for ways he can help others.

Victoria Cipollino

Victoria Cipollino is a junior biochemistry major studying abroad this semester in Florence, Italy.

Originally from Northport, NY in Long Island, Victoria loves Clemson and participates in many different activities around campus.

“I am involved in bioinformatics research with Dr. Alex Feltus, America Reads tutoring, an FCA small group and Collegians for Christ.”

Currently, Victoria is studying at abroad through one of Clemson’s third-party programs, which are coordinated by other universities and study abroad organizations. She is studying at the Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence, Italy (LdM). LdM is noted as one of the most distinctive and well-established study abroad institutions in Italy.

“A typical day for me includes attending my classes in the heart of Florence, enjoying a cappuccino and cooking dinner with my roommates.”

In her free time, Victoria enjoys taking long walks and exploring the markets at Mercato Centrale, where she can find fresh fruit, pasta and sauces. She also loves traveling around other cities in Italy.

“Traveling by train on the weekends is incredibly easy, with so many nearby cities to visit. This weekend, I’m deciding between Livorno and Venice! Florence offers excellent public transportation and endless places to explore, making it the perfect city for my study abroad experience.”

Victoria is working to become fluent in Italian, and there is no better place to practice. For Victoria the choice to study abroad was easy and the choice of Italy was an easier one.

“I chose to study abroad because I love meeting people from different cultures and experiencing new environments. Italy, in particular, holds a special place in my heart, as I grew up immersed in Italian culture.”

Senior biochemistry major Mary Grace Flowers has been selected to attend the 19th annual ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference at the University of Pittsburgh on March 28-30th. Only 5 students from each university are chosen to attend.

The ACC Meeting of the Minds is an annual research conference celebrating undergraduate research and creative inquiry at the 18 Atlantic Coast Conference member schools, including Clemson University and seeks to highlight undergraduate excellence in research and creative scholarship across many fields.

Mary Grace will be presenting a poster titled “Examining the role of sex in bone remodeling using differential feeding stresses.” Her research investigates bone remodeling in the facial skeleton using a cichlid fish model because these fish have immense range of facial diversity and have shown a significant capability for craniofacial bone remodeling.

The University of Pittsburgh says, “The weekend of events is designed to provide students with the opportunity to share their work, connect with peers from other institutions, to learn from and with each other, and of course to have some fun!”

Everyone wish Mary Grace luck at the Meeting of the Minds later this month!

When we think of getting a genetics degree, most of us don’t really equate that to a career in law. 2014 alum Megan Robertson is paving the way to broaden the horizons of what a science degree can lead to.

After growing up outside of Charlotte, NC, Megan came to Clemson as a genetics major with a minor in legal studies. While she was on campus, Megan was involved in Sigma Kappa, Pi Chi and worked at the Academic Success Center with the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program.

“I was an SI instructor for calculus for a year or so and then oversaw the SI instructors for all the science classes.”

Outside of academics, Megan enjoyed all that Clemson had to offer.

“I loved going to football games (of course!) and hanging out with friends downtown, whether it was getting ice cream at Spill the Beans or grabbing a drink at TTTs.”

After Clemson, Megan went straight to law school at the George Washington (GW) Law School in Washington D.C., living in the city for eight years throughout her schooling. The GW Law School a global law school that exists to make an impact on the law through the leadership of diverse faculty and staff, the extraordinary influence of an extensive alumni network, and the location in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.

Upon graduating from law school, Megan began her career as an attorney at the law firm of Epstein Becker Green (EBG), a national law firm with a primary focus on health care and life sciences; employment, labor, and workforce management; and litigation and business disputes.

Megan is now a partner at Epstein Becker Green, working with clients involved in biotech, biopharma, clinical lab and research activities advising them on compliance with federal and state laws and regulations (think FDA regulations, CLIA for labs, fraud and abuse considerations and state laws).

“I may be answering a question about how a new product is regulated or helping to negotiate a clinical research contract for a new study. I also represent investor clients during due diligence reviews of life sciences companies, advising on risks associated with potential transactions.”

Another piece of Megan’s practice is pro bono work, where she represents claimants seeking social security disability benefits on a no cost basis. This was not originally Megan’s plan when she went to law school.

“I actually went to law school thinking I would do patents. But as I learned more about the health care law field, I got more intrigued and finally zeroed in on where I am today.”

Though Megan is technically an attorney, she uses her genetics degree and knowledge everyday in her work duties. Megan’s degree in genetics, allows her to understand the unique compliance challenges faced by, and the development opportunities available to, companies in the life sciences industry.

“Having a science background is incredibly useful when talking to clients about the details of a new product or study. Regardless of whether it has to do specifically with genetics or biochemistry, “speaking the language” is invaluable when relaying legal and compliance concepts and concepts and talking through strategy with these life sciences companies.”

Much of the work Megan does is with clinical labs, and she co-leads the firm’s Clinical Labs Focused Initiative.

“Whether the labs are running genetic tests or developing their own test, it is exciting to be able to watch new developments in genetics come to fruition in near-real time.”

Megan married her high school sweetheart Zach in 2017 and now live in just outside in Herndon, VA with their four-old daughter, Olivia and two dogs, Miller and Marlo.

Senior biochemistry major Albash Kahan was awarded first place in the 2025 J.T. Barton Jr. Memorial Ethics Award, which recognizes outstanding students who show exceptional ethical leadership and a commitment to advancing good decision-making on campus.

Originally from Florence, SC, Albash chose our biochemistry program to help reach his goal of becoming a nephrologist. His passion for nephrology and internal medicine comes from personal experience, his family having dealt with diabetes and kidney problems.

Academically, Albash has been involved in the Hunting for Novel Antibiotics Creative Inquiry led by Dr. Min Cao in Biological Sciences; the Rutland Institute for Ethics’ student ethics committee, Creative Habits and Norms Guiding Ethical Decisions; and the Health Extension for Diabetes Program, a free, practice-tested program recognized by the American Diabetes Association.

After graduation, Albash’s aspiration is to pursue a career in medicine with a specialization in internal medicine and nephrology. He plans to attend medical school and hopes to one day establish his own clinic and dialysis center to provide comprehensive care for patients with renal disorders.

The J.T. Barton Jr. Memorial Ethics Award was established in 2001 by Stephan Barton in honor of his late father and supports students who could demonstrate a noteworthy understanding of the essence of an ethical dilemma, as well as excellence in strategic thinking on how to deal with the dilemma through ethical decision-making skills.

The award is given to a singular student and/or a student group on the Clemson University’s campus who pledges to use the award programmatically for advancing good ethical decision-making skills. Three awards are provided annually in the amounts of $1,500, $1,000, and $500. A panel of judges made up of the Rutland Institute Advisory Board Program Committee members determine award recipients each year.

Sophomore and Honors College student Ciara Alderman initially chose to major in biochemistry because her career plan was to attend medical school. Though her aspirations have changed, her love her biochemistry has only grown.

“I love challenging myself and learning about the biochemical processes that affects every living organism.”

When looking for colleges, Ciara was looking for a place that was welcoming, student-centered and somewhere that she knew she could succeed.

“Allowing undergraduates to participate in research and projects the way Clemson does is unheard of. I knew that Clemson would provide me with the resources and experiences I need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”

Now that Ciara has been on campus for a while, she has found a community in the Genetics and Biochemistry department, with both students and faculty.

“I think we have the best faculty and staff of any department!”

Aside from the departmental community, Ciara has become involved in several extracurricular activities on campus. One is working for Clemson Home as a Residential Community Mentor (RCM) helping students navigate their freshman year at Clemson.

“The most fulfilling part of my job is being a mentor to my residents. Being an RCM fills me with unexplainable joy as I help foster an inclusive community that creates an environment for students to succeed.”

Ciara is also a member of Clemson’s Xi Chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon (A.O.E), a professional and social sorority for women in engineering and science focused on friendship, leadership and professionalism. Being a member of A.O.E has given Ciara the opportunity to connect with women in all STEM fields as well as other Genetics and Biochemistry majors.

“Through A.O.E, I have made lifelong friends, developed my professional skills and made a positive impact in my community.”

This semester Ciara joined a Creative Inquiry (CI) project focused on running standardized national STEM competitions for K-12 students.

“I am passionate about providing students with the opportunity to develop their STEM knowledge, skills and experiences before entering college, and this CI gives me the chance.”

In her free time, Ciara enjoys playing sports like volleyball, spikeball, football and pickleball with her friends. She is a huge fan of Clemson sports attends all the games she can. She also loves the outdoors, taking advantage of Clemson’s location in the upstate by hiking and kayaking on Lake Hartwell, walking at the Dikes and camping in the Blue Ridge. On days when she wants to relax, Ciara loves to read anything from short memoirs and essay collections to historical fiction and mysteries.

“A fun fact about me is that I have a black belt in Karate!”

Ciara’s aspirations grew and changed as she delved into the world of biochemistry. No longer was medical school at the forefront of her brain. After graduation, Ciara aspires to go on to Physical Therapy school and get her DPT.

“It is my dream to be able to work for a sports team as a Physical Therapist to help athletes get back on their feet and back to the sport they love.”

This summer we shared a number of incoming freshmen’s stories with you. In this series we circle back to those students and see how they are doing now.

Maddie Smith

Since being on campus, Maddie Smith, genetics major from Slidell, LS, has thrived both academically and personally.

“I am in love with campus and all of my coursework. My professors have been nothing short of amazing and so willing to help whenever I need!”

She has become involved in organizations such as Alpha Omega Epsilon, a sorority that promotes women in STEM, a bible study through Catholic Tigers, the Genetics and Biochemistry Club and the Swift Society. Maddie is also part of a Creative Inquiry with Dr. Todd Lyda.

“My favorite class so far would have to be my CI research project with Dr. Lyda! We work to isolate Euglena cells in a gel strip using gel electrophoresis to make a reuseable battery. My lab mates and I are super close, and we love getting together outside of the lab for lunches at Schlitter!”

Maddie enjoys all parts of what Clemson has to offer: football games, snow days on Bowman Field, studying in the Harry Potter room on the second floor of the library and consistently making new friends.

“My favorite Clemson moment would have to be the snow day! Being from south Louisiana, I have only ever seen snow once at home! It was so magical and the most amazing welcome back from the holiday break!”

The past academic year at Clemson and in the Department of Genetics and Biochemistry has solidified Maddie’s future career goals.

“Since being in the Genetics and Biochemistry department, I have gained confidence in my academic abilities, and I have no doubt I will be prepared to take the MCAT and hopefully be accepted into medical school!”

When asked what her advice for incoming freshman would be, Maddie said to not give up when things get hard.

“It is not easy being in all science classes but finding a group of friends that know what you are going through and will help you succeed will make the world of difference! Shout out to my G&B girls, Kylie Wilson and Muara Korte, for being the best friends and study partners ever!”

The Greenville Journal released an article highlighting genetics doctoral student Sriya Pothapragada’s love for both her studies and skydiving.

Sriya arrived at Clemson after in 2023 after majoring in bioengineering at the University of Maryland to study with Dr. James Lewis and obtain her Ph.D. Sriya’s research revolves around evolutionary genetics and biology with the hope of eventually applying it to a career as an astrobiologist.

When she arrived in the Upstate she also had a goal to obtain her first skydiving license.

“I value almost equally the skills you get from stuff like skydiving, especially in flying, like self-accountability, discipline, common sense,” she said. “My reflexes have gotten better. I’m in better physical shape.”

So far, Pothapragada has completed 61 jumps and recently competed in the USPA National Collegiate Skydiving Championships in Zephyrhills, Florida.

Read more in the full article.

Junior genetics major Gwen Schindel’s grandfather suffered from Huntington’s Disease, a rare, genetic neurodegenerative disorder that affects the brain and causes uncontrolled movements, cognitive decline and psychiatric symptoms.

Gwen’s mother had a 50/50 chance of receiving this gene and had to undergo extensive research to ensure that she did not have it. Fortunately, for Gwen and her mother, she did not carry the gene.

“However, I saw first-hand what this awful disease can do to a patient as well as their families. This inspired me to study Genetics so I can hopefully, in some way, help patients and families who are affected by genetic diseases/disorders!”

Additionally, during her adolescences Gwen was exposed to the field of genetics through her involvement in showing dairy cows. Her grandparents owned a dairy farm, and she began showing at 10 years old and continued for eight years.

“In the dairy show world, farmers will look at the genetics of their cows and breed them specifically to make an ideal cow – one that can produce a lot of milk and one that will catch the eye of a judge.”

Now that she is on campus studying what she loves, Gwen is so excited and grateful to be here, saying that Clemson was just the perfect fit for her.

“I have met so many amazing professors, faculty, and peers who have all guided me through these past two years at Clemson.”

Aside from academics, on campus Gwen is involved in the Clemson Genetics and Biochemistry Club, Clemson’s Fellowship of Christian Atheletes (FCA) and Clemson Hope, specifically in Write for Hope where Clemson students write letters to elementary age students in Title 1 schools.

After graduating, Gwen plans to pursue a master’s degree in genetic counseling or physician assistant studies.

“Our department as a whole has made such an amazing impact on the world already and I cannot wait to see what it does in the future! I know that I will be set up for success upon graduation because of this program.”

Gwen is originally from Ohio, is a biological sciences minor and enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, reading and watching football.

Dr. Cheryl Ingram-Smith is an associate professor of genetics and biochemistry and serves as the department’s graduate program director. She teaches courses in biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology and her primary research interests include metabolism of eukaryotic pathogens during infection in a human host and enzymology of metabolic enzymes.

Dr. Ingram-Smith graduated with her B.S. in biology from MIT and her Ph.D. in molecular biology from University of Pennsylvania. She came to Clemson in 2001, serving as a lecturer, senior lecturer and undergraduate academic advisor before moving to a tenure track position in 2011.

As part of Clemson University’s Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC), an interdisciplinary research cooperative founded in 2013 that is at the forefront of biomedical research on the devastating eukaryotic pathogens, Dr. Ingram Smith’s lab is interested in the intestinal parasite Entamoeba histolytica, which causes severe dysentery in ~100 million people each year worldwide.

E. histolytica causes amoebic dysentery in ~100 million people each year. E. histolytica is ingested in its cyst form in contaminated food and water. In the small intestine it converts to its amoeba form and then colonizes the large intestine, where is can cause dysentery or establish an asymptomatic infection.

Dr. Ingram-Smith’s lab is studying how E. histolytica adapts to and thrives in the glucose-poor environment of the large intestine where it colonizes. Her lab has established robust, reproducible cyst formation in laboratory culture and are studying how this process is regulated directly in the human pathogen.