BOONE— Marcus Lawrence discovered the allure of research while he was an undergraduate student at California State University Monterey Bay. Now a graduate student in Appalachian State University’s College of Health Science, his continued focus on exercise science research has resulted in a Kannapolis Scholar Fellowship.

The 15-month fellowship will support his continued work in Appalachian’s Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science, as well as research at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis for two summers. The fellowship includes a $27,500 stipend, a $5,800 tuition allowance for the 2011-12 academic year and housing support at the NCRC campus while he is in Kannapolis.

“After I completed my first research study I was hooked, and ever since then I have wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in exercise science,” Lawrence said. “The training I will receive and the research collaboration I’ll be part of as a result of this fellowship will propel me to a top-tier Ph.D. program.”

Kannapolis Scholar fellowships are funded by an award to N.C. State University from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. This is the second year a graduate student from Appalachian has received the fellowship, which is typically awarded to Ph.D. students from one of the UNC system’s research campuses.

The award is based on faculty sponsorship, and a student’s application and academic credentials including their grade point average, GRE scores and academic resume. “It’s a highly competitive and reviewed application process,” Zwetsloot said. “In order to succeed in this fellowship, it will take a lot of hard work. We knew that Marcus’s work ethic and drive would make him a good candidate for this. He is a bright individual and is getting the grasp of physiological research and can handle the workload.”

Lawrence will conduct a study on the effects of a plant substance from Central Asia in mitigating muscle loss that occurs with aging His research mentors will be Dr. R. Andrew Shanely from Appalachian’s Human Performance Lab at the NCRC, Dr. Kevin A. Zwetsloot from the Fisher/Nycom Biochemistry Lab in Appalachian’s Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science plant physiologist Dr. Mary Ann Lila from N.C. State University’s Plants For Human Health Institute and Dr. Susan Tsivitse from the Department of Kinesiology at UNC Charlotte. “This is a multi-lab, multi-collaborator project that spans a lot of different areas,” said Zwetsloot.

Lawrence will prepare an extract from the plant Ajuga turkestanica that will be fed to mice that are the equivalent of a 65-year-old human. Depending on the outcome of the study, the extract would then be tested on human volunteers.

“Previous research has shown the plant extract increases strength in young animals and protein synthesis in muscle cells. Those are two of the problems that occur with aging. We lose muscle when we get older – our ability to build protein decreases,” Zwetsloot said.

To learn more about Appalachian’s NCRC laboratory, visit www.ncrc.appstate.edu.

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