Research fellow: Gordon Rix
Hometown: Little Compton, RI
School: University of Rhode Island
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Mindy Levine
Project: Detection and in situ fluorescence-based monitoring of hydrocarbon food sources in complex marine environments

The way he explains it, URI senior biochemistry major Gordon Rix can’t help but be drawn to his field of study.

“I just find it really intriguing,” Rix says. “We’re all just made up of molecules — a bunch of chemistry, really. Our entire lives, we’re a giant chemical reaction.”

His enthusiasm and wonder are part of why Rix was selected to receive the 2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) funded by the office of Gov. Gina M. Raimondo. Along with his strong and consistent academic record, Rix expressed a commitment to research and a love for science that was readily apparent in his application to the SURF program.

Rix explains he wanted to be a neurologist since he was nine years old. He enrolled at URI as a biology major before making a few switches and ending up in biochemistry. He gained research experience in multiple labs and has served as a volunteer for a chemistry camp run by his SURF mentor, Assistant Professor Mindy Levine.

“I was pre-med for a while, but then I switched majors and realized that research was my true passion,” Rix explains. “The combination of working in a lab and classes in biochem have really shown me that I’m more interested in research. I don’t think medicine is for me, but I’m still interested in brain science.”

When Levine sent out information on the RI EPSCoR SURF program, Rix took interest in her project and applied for the program. He is spending his SURF experience in Levine’s lab, synthesizing molecules known as cyclodextrins and fluorophores, which are used to detect toxicants, or manmade toxic substances, in marine environments.

“It’s a great way to begin thinking about research questions like an actual scientist, and being able to ask the right questions and figure out how to get an answer,” says Rix of his summer research fellowship. “It’s a skill that takes time to acquire in the lab.”

Looking ahead to his post-graduation plans, Rix says he likely will apply to graduate school, pursue research, and see what professional paths might be possible: “I think being a professor is definitely a possibility for me, but I want to get a better idea of career opportunities. So far, I’ve really only been exposed to academia.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle