UA Student Selected to Attend Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Brandon Hill, a University of Alabama doctoral student, is one of approximately 600 students from around the world selected to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting June 29-July 4.

Thousands of young researchers applied for the opportunity to attend the meeting and interact with 37 Nobel Prize winners in Lindau, Germany. Hill, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, is studying biology at UA after earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Jackson State University.

Hill’s graduate work at Jackson State focused on assessing the effect of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts on microtubule destabilization in cancer cells. This research has application in future, potential cancer-treatment methods.

At UA, where he began his doctoral studies in the fall of 2010, Hill’s work blends the fields of molecular biology, cell biology, virology and nanotechnology. His research interests lie in solving some of the scientific challenges involved in nanomedicine.

In the laboratory, he works alongside Dr. Carol Duffy, UA associate professor of biological sciences. At UA, Hill has served as a teaching assistant in both labs and lectures. He is a U.S. Department of Education fellowship recipient.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have evolved into an internationally respected forum for scientific debate on issues of global importance and have gained numerous partners and supporters around the world. This year’s dialogue, the 64^th meeting, is dedicated to medicine and will involve young researchers from approximately 80 countries.

UA’s biological sciences department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.