La Salle University Biology Major Stacey Engster
To Participate in Gene Therapy Research at Louisiana State University

Last summer, Stacey Engster studied poultry disease at a federal laboratory that was a 20 minute-drive from her home in Salisbury. This summer, she’ll travel a little farther: Baton Route, Louisiana. The La Salle University biology major will study gene therapy techniques that seek to cure Parkinson's Disease at Louisiana State University (LSU).

“The only time I was ever there (Louisiana) was at a hotel,” said Engster. She was traveling to Dallas but there airport there was closed because of ice, and her flight was rerouted to Shreveport.

Engster, who hopes to attend medical school, will be at LSU from mid-June to mid-August. At La Salle, she received a full academic scholarship and is a member of the University’s Honors Program.

“It is a real treat to have students like Stacey,” said Dr. Norbert Belzer, Chair of La Salle’s Biology department. “To be effective, the educational process should be a two-way street, with faculty and students interacting to learn from each other.  That is the way it is with Stacey.  In addition to her coursework in the sciences and the Honors Program.  The abilities she has shown in her research  -- independence, dependability, resourcefulness, will be useful to her as she pursues her goal to be a physician.”

Engster is a graduate of James M. Bennett High School and is the daughter of Dr. Henry and Sharon Engster.

Last May, Engster traveled to Tijuana and Mexicali in Mexico with other La Salle students to work with schools and community groups on projects such as mixing cement to lay the foundation for a playground. The La Salle students also visited an orphanage.