by Dennis St. Germaine

Stazzone was a member of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program, (UBRP) headed by Carol Bender, when he heard Dr. Azza Gabr, a visitor to the UA from Egypt, speak about intestinal parasites among village children in the Nile Delta.

Since he had already been involved in similar research as an undergraduate here, Stazzone realized that his work dovetailed nicely with that of the Egyptian pediatrician. "Many of the same infections occur here, but (mainly) among immunosuppressed patients," he says, "so when I heard her talk, I saw that we were using newer methods to detect those parasites."

Stazzone thought that detection methods being used here in Arizona could lead to earlier treatment of the parasite infestation, and decided to try to travel to Egypt to work with Gabr for the summer.

"Carol and I talked it over. If I could go to Egypt, it would benefit me and them," he says.

There were several hurdles to clear, however, before Stazzone's plan would work, not the least of which was money.

Bender tapped UBRP funds (from a grant by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute) to pay for Stazzone's airline ticket. And although the Egyptians were eager for Stazzone to come there and work, they did not have sufficient materials for him to work with. So in stepped Dr. Ron Watson, of the UA Family and Community Medicine department, to provide the necessary materials.

Then the budding researcher spoke to Ghada Hawaidy, a Fulbright commission program officer and outlined his plan. "They made an exception to (their) no undergraduates (rule) and found me a place to stay," he says.

The final hurdle came when Stazzone realized that he would need a fluorecent microscope. Costing thousands of dollars, it was impossible for him to bring one from the United States.

Watson came through again, and this time with his contacts in the U.S. Navy. He had worked with the Naval Medical Research Unit 3 (NAMRU3) in Cairo (NAMRU1 is located in Bethesda, Md.) and knew that the unit had a fluorescent microscope. Stazzone wrote to NAMRU3 and they faxed back the next day saying they wanted to work on the project with him.

Stazzone arrived in Egypt in mid May, 1991, with his luggage and a list of phone numbers. A driver from the Fulbright Commission located him at the airport and took him to the guest flat he would share for the next two months while working with Egyptian scientists who were diagnosing and treating those infected with the parasites. "This is the type of program that can really work very well at a research institution where faculty have international collaborators," Bender says.

"The Egyptians were really pleased, and Stazzone presented a paper for the American Society of Microbiology meeting in 1993."

Stazzone opened the door for undergraduates to participate in research abroad. More than 30 other undergraduates have traveled to other countries. The program now recveives funding not only from the HHMI grant, but also from the National Institutes of Health through a Minority International Research Training grant.

Mindful of the fact that there are more than 130 UBRP students, the Program has a way for many of those who do not get to go to share the experience vicariously. Returning students make a report on their research results at a monthly meeting called a "data blitz."

As for the students who travel, they get to see the contrast between science performed in the United States and in other parts of the world. It exposes the students to other cultures, and gives them the tools to work with. "To be able to offer this to students is, I think, very special. It is a terrific scientific and cultural experience," Bender says.

Says Stazzone, "I was 20 at the time. It opened my eyes to the fact that there is a lot more than going to school and getting a job. Whien I applied to medical school, it gave me a better perspective on crisis and turmoil. It made me more compassionate to people's circumstances in life. It helped settle me down and made me a lot more mature emotionally."