Colin Godwin came to Amherst College after an upbringing in Mercer Island, Wash. At the College, professors claim Godwin absorbed the densely layered collections of sciences almost as if by osmosis. He demonstrated an acumen which Professor of Biology and Godwin's thesis advisor Richard Goldsby claimed had "special powers." His academic feats merited his election into Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, and a prestigious scholarship in the spring. His four years culminated in a thesis that has won deep appreciation. These are merely highlights of a college career in which Godwin has distinguished himself; it augurs well for a successful career in the sciences.

Coming to Amherst

Godwin was drawn to the College's liberal arts curriculum, size and reputation. The prospect of living on the East Coast after a life in Seattle also attracted him. He said, "I knew I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school, and having grown up in Seattle, I figured going to the East Coast would be a good experience for me. I'd heard a lot of good things about Amherst, so once I was accepted it made a lot of sense to come here."

Amherst was among a list of formidable schools to which Godwin had been accepted, including Bowdoin, Colby, Claremont-McKenna, Pomona, Whitman and the University of Washington. Needless to say, the College is lucky to have attracted as bright a student as he. In his four years, he's contributed a wealth to the school's academic culture.

Science, science, science

When Godwin entered the College, science had already colonized his academic horizon. When asked why, he said, "I like science and biology because they involve the understanding of complex things." Godwin admires science's ability to draw out fundamental facts of complex things. He continued, "Animals and plants can seem very complicated, but through years of scientific work, we're beginning to understand what makes them tick. I guess I like things that make sense, and science makes sense out of things that originally didn't."

The prospect of a career in science could only have added to a constellation of interests that had already crystallized into full-blooded passion. At this point, it was merely a question of picking one among the sciences. Godwin realized what he wanted to major in after taking an introductory biology course. He said, "When I first arrived at Amherst, I was pretty sure I was going to major in a science, but I wasn't sure which one. Biology 19, the department's introductory course dealing with molecular biology and genetics, really sparked my interest and motivated me to become a major."

Naturally, he took more courses in the department in subsequent semesters. Although most students discover their favorite classes in their latter college years, Godwin was lucky to have discovered his earlier. "I took Biochemistry the following semester, and I think that's turned out to be my favorite biology course."

Beyond textbooks

His early interest in biology quickly matured. While a textbook and a quiet room adequately supported his early forays into the material, this soon became restrictive. Biology was no longer a set of concepts cleanly represented in a textbook, but a body of knowledge with wider, human ramifications. Studying it from a purely academic angle often hid this immensely important aspect. This is what led him to an internship with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute in Seattle. The Institute is an independent and non-profit biomedical research center, one of 39 comprehensive cancer centers nationwide that supports the work of three Nobel laureates. More importantly, it was his experience there that planted in him a still burgeoning interest in cancer research.

Godwin says, "My interest in cancer biology really began last summer when I did a research internship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute." Cancer research helped Godwin grasp biology's human essence, divorced from its often too academic materializations. He added, "I found that cancer research was especially interesting because it's possible to learn really fundamental facts about the way biology works while also retaining a sense that the work is not simply academic. In other words, you can learn while adding to knowledge that might make a difference in people's lives."

Godwin wrote his thesis on cancer biology. He studied the impact of superantigens on the immune system and investigated ways to neutralize this mal-effect. He explained, "I wrote my thesis with Professor Goldsby. For several years, members of his laboratory have been studying the activity of superantigens, which are toxins secreted by certain bacteria. Superantigens act by over-stimulating the immune system, causing damage to the host. I studied ways of neutralizing the action of these superantigens, specifically by using both antibodies against the superantigens, and inhibitors of the Notch cell signaling pathway."

Lab brilliance

Goldsby delighted in Godwin's work, and was impressed with his sheer talent. However, he was hardly surprised. Having already taught Godwin previously, he was well aware of his academic aptitude. Godwin showed a remarkable knack for biology. He remarked, "I met Colin during his junior year when he took Immunology. He had a spectacular semester and I was somewhat in awe of his rapid grasp of so much of the sprawling and complex collection of sciences that make up this subject."

It was in writing his thesis, however, that Godwin demonstrated the full extent of his abilities. That precocity lurking in his academic work shined most brightly in his honors thesis. "I really got to appreciate his 'special powers' when he did an honors thesis in my lab," said Goldsby. "He completed a challenging program of research during which he actually found something new and interesting."

He added that the thesis would merit substantial praise even in higher medical education: "These findings were the basis of a thoughtful and comprehensive and thesis that would earn a master's degree if it was submitted in any one of a number of universities."

Clinching the Churchill

In the spring of his senior year, almost concurrent with his thesis work, Godwin won the prestigious Churchill Scholarship. The scholarship is administered by the Winston Churchill Foundation in New York. Recipients, who are recent college graduates, go on to Cambridge University to do research in the areas of science, mathematics or economics for a year. Godwin will pursue his interest in cancer biology when he works with Dr. Ashok Venkitaraman in Cambridge's Department of Oncology.

In an earlier interview with The Amherst Student, Godwin explained, "Dr. Venkitaraman studies the causes of cancer, in particular how misregulation of chromosome number and/or the cell reproduction cycle can make cells more vulnerable to becoming cancerous."

Godwin plans to attend medical school in 2008, following his year at Churchill College at Cambridge.

As expected, Godwin hopes to continue with academic medicine and medical research as a career. It seems like an excellent choice for someone who admires science and particularly biology's immense explanatory power. He said, "I hope to be involved in academic medicine, though I'm not sure which specialty I'll pursue."

Loving it

Besides his enriching and successful academic life, Godwin pursues a number of extracurricular interests across a wide spectrum. He expressed his zeal for soccer as he participates in the College's intramural soccer program. In this he acts from a deep interest, rather than on a whim. "Intramural soccer has been a great way to get outside," said Godwin. "I also hope to play soccer as a member of Churchill College, as well as travel around Europe."

He is also musically inclined-he sings for Route 9 and plays for a band. "I've maintained an interest in music through a cappella and playing the piano and keyboard," said Godwin.

At the conclusion of his four years here, Godwin has few regrets. This is hardly surprising given his academic successes. But this contentment extends beyond the academic level, and into those extracurricular activities that comprise an important part of college life. Godwin said, "If I had it to all to do over again, I would try to be more involved in the community or do more volunteering. At Amherst, it's easy to be in the bubble and focus mostly on your education or activities at the College, and I think I would try to resist that impulse a more. In general, though, I'm happy with the choices I've made and how things have played out."

He does not, however, believe that the Amherst experience is often unnecessarily impugned. He suspects that underlying the students' daily griping about the school is a general and profound happiness.

He recalls a conversation he had with Assistant Professor of Political Science Javier Corrales that highlighted this observation. He said, "I met with Professor Corrales this spring to talk about a paper topic, and after we had discussed the paper, we chatted for a little while. He asked me whether I had enjoyed my time at Amherst. I said yes, I definitely had. He said that seemed to be one of the special and unique things about Amherst, that most students were ultimately satisfied with their choice of college."

He continued, "I think Professor Corrales' statement struck me because we all hear little day-to-day gripes with Amherst, and it's easy to lose sight of the big picture, which is that Amherst is a great school and that we're actually happy to be here." And Amherst was certainly happy to have Godwin.