Studying the role of epigenetics in the regulation of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), a major co-receptor of AIDS, may be a difficult subject for many individuals to understand, but for 17-year-old high school senior, Cami Ratliff, it is second nature.
During her sophomore year at Alamo Heights High School, Ratliff joined the lab of Sunil Ahuja, M.D., professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the Health Science Center and director of the Veterans Administration Center for AIDS and HIV-1 Infection at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, Audie Murphy Division. She is a student associate involved in research design and implementation, data analysis and studies of CCR5, the doorway for HIV-1 into the cell.
Ratliff constructed an article about her research and entered it into two highly competitive and respectable competitions: Siemens Westinghouse and the 2004-2005 Intel Science Talent Search. Placing as a semifinalist in both competitions, Ratliff earned a total of $3,000 in scholarship money.
“Cami is a very smart high school student who is committed to advancing biomedical research,” said Dr. Ahuja. “She epitomizes what an intelligent and hard working person can accomplish - even at the high school level, and as such she is a role-model for other students.”
Ratliff is a National Merit Finalist and ranked fourth in her class with a 104 grade point average. Not only is she science savvy, she is also fluent in Spanish and an avid clarinet player.
The Siemens Foundation, in partnership with the College Board, established the Siemens Westinghouse Competition to promote excellence by encouraging students to undertake research projects in science, mathematics, engineering and technology or in combinations of these disciplines. It is the leading science and mathematics research-based competition for high school students in the United States.
The Intel Science Talent Search is America's oldest and most highly regarded pre-college science contest.
“I’m proud of my accomplishments in these competitions,” Ratliff said. “My high school received money on my behalf, as well. Three thousand dollars was awarded to Alamo Heights High School. Since funds have always been limited in the independent research area at my school, the money will go to further research for other kids interested in it at Alamo Heights.”
Although still debating which college she will attend in the fall, Ratliff is considering Duke University, where she has already been accepted. She also has the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student in Germany for a year, providing that she takes a year off from school. With Ratliff’s lengthy resume, she has several options for her future. Whatever her decision is, she said her interest in science won’t change and her long-term goal is still to obtain advanced degrees allowing her to pursue a future in global health and biomedical research.
