On the Forefront of Science

Issue Date: 
November 11, 2009
From left, Bartholomew Roland, ARCS Pittsburgh member Millie Ryan, and her husband, Gary. The photo was taken in the Sen. John Heinz History Center’s Sebastian Mueller  Education Center. From left, Bartholomew Roland, ARCS Pittsburgh member Millie Ryan, and her husband, Gary. The photo was taken in the Sen. John Heinz History Center’s Sebastian Mueller Education Center.

Bartholomew Roland has remained steadfast in his dedication to following a scientific path. “Science and the pursuit of knowledge have always intrigued me more than any other career,” he said.

Currently a student in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program, Roland is helping to invest- igate how sodium-potassium pumps— which are part of the human brain and critical to neuronal function—supply themselves with energy.

Roland was recently named an Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation (ARCS) Scholar. ARCS is a nonprofit, national volunteer organization of women dedicated to providing scholarships to academically outstanding U.S. citizens who are studying science, medicine, and engineering. Sue Harter, president of the ARCS Pittsburgh chapter, says the chapter funds 29 scholars at both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University. “Our 150 women members and the corporations, foundations, and other individuals who support us share our same concerns for our region and our country’s future,” she said.

Prior to enrolling in Pitt’s School of Medicine, Roland attended Central Michigan University, where he became enmeshed in Huntington’s Disease research. He said he was amazed to realize that a simple expansion of a piece of DNA could lead to a disorder that impairs physical movement, cognition, and psychiatric well-being. During his college years, Roland’s love of research led him to jobs in the labs of Dow Chemical Company and a research assistantship in the Brain Research and Integrated Neuroscience (BRAIN) Center at Central Michigan University and the Field Neuroscience Institute in Saginaw.

Roland said he appreciates the recognition and financial support provided to him by the ARCS Foundation. “To me, the ARCS Foundation means a new source of hope. Because of the support of these generous women, I have finally been able to devote myself full-time to the study of neurodegenerative diseases in order to find new ways to treat these conditions,” he said.

Roland plans to complete his PhD in either pharmacology or pathology with a focus on neuroscience.  After receiving his doctorate, he hopes to continue his research at an academic institution.