Jun 28, 2007 - Claremont, Calif. - Members of a Harvey Mudd College (HMC)-led research team presented their research “Curing Cancer with Mathematics” at the 13th annual meeting of the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) on Tuesday, June 26, in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Lisette de Pillis, HMC professor of mathematics, is lead principal investigator (PI) on the National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored research project. The team is working to develop and test models of cancer growth and to implement mathematically optimal approaches to controlling multiple simultaneous cancer treatment strategies, which include chemotherapy, immunotherapy and vaccine therapy.

According to de Pillis, “Harnessing the power of the body’s own immune system is a promising approach to combating a growing cancer. However, precisely how cancer immunotherapies work, and how they should be administered optimally, either alone or in conjunction with chemotherapies, remains an open question of great interest and import to the medical community.

“In this cross-disciplinary project, we are developing computational and mathematical tools capable of modeling the complex cascade of biological tumor-immune interactions, and of determining effective combination treatment strategies. Our tools have the potential to provide clinical guidance in the development of new treatment protocols through preliminary evaluations of simulated scenarios.”

Due to a family emergency, de Pillis was unable to join the team in Washington. Filling in for her was Weiqing Gu, co-PI and professor of mathematics at HMC, who brings to the project her expertise in analytic geometry. Gu is slated to take a leave of absence from her duties at HMC in 2007-08 to work as a program officer at the NSF’s Division of Mathematical Sciences.

Renee Fister from Murray State University (Ky.) is the other co-PI on the project, bringing her expertise in optimal control theory. Also representing HMC in Washington were Dean of Faculty Daniel Goroff and students Benjamin David Preskill ‘09 of Claremont, Calif., and David Gross ‘08 of Pasadena, Calif.

“We had a very successful trip” Gu said. “We were able to promote HMC and NSF by speaking with many people: staff, members of congress, professional society officials, scientists from other institutes and many NSF officials. The students described the great impact working on this NSF-supported research project had on them.

“We also emphasized that the benefits of NSF funding manifest themselves throughout society. The student researchers reap the benefits of being drawn into an ever-growing intellectual community; professors reap the benefits of having their talents used to solve problems spanning multiple disciplines; research institutions as a whole benefit from the increased competence of students attending them; and the country benefits by becoming a stronger international academic competitor.”

According to Gross, “I was exposed to all of the consequences of research, and the strides forward that the research community is trying to make. Seeing it all in one room brought home the importance of making sure that a foundation that funds such a diverse array of projects gets appropriate government funding.

“I had never been able to see policy in progress such as I did on this trip. I don’t know how quickly the ripples we have made in the waters of research and policy will grow, but they will hopefully be felt soon through continued and augmented grants from the NSF for future Harvey Mudd students.”

Reflecting on the experience, Preskill said, “It was not until yesterday that I began to understand the complex interplay between politics and science that plays out every day in our capitol. We were met with enthusiasm, intrigue and appreciation; most attendees seemed to genuinely believe in our ability to change the world through our research. We reinforced this with our stories of research success, but more importantly, we showed everyone we met that undergraduate research can be just as fruitful as high-level graduate research when conducted at an institution like Mudd. To some, this was a surprise; we can only hope it will result in greater funding for undergraduate initiatives.

“On a personal note, the experience was enormous; the importance of gaining a first-hand understanding of the lobbying process cannot be understated. I now have a much greater appreciation for how Capitol Hill operates, and the process of presenting our research results elegantly and efficiently proved an enjoyable challenge. I cannot state enough how fortunate we were to have been given the opportunity to partake in this experience.”

The project and team were selected to represent the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) at the CNSF exhibition, where they showcased the kind of active research that takes place with undergraduates at Harvey Mudd College. In 2006, the American Mathematical Society recognized HMC with its first Award for an Exemplary Program or Achievement in a Mathematics Department.

Since 1995, the Coalition for National Science Funding has sponsored an exhibition and reception each spring, showcasing research made possible by the National Science Foundation. Exhibit booths display a wide range of scientific research and education projects, and university researchers and educators are on hand to describe their work to interested members of Congress and their staffs.