Researcher to receive award

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When the list of recipients of the 2004 National Aboriginal Achievement Awards was announced on Jan. 13, Dr. Lee Wilson became the latest in a long line of award winners with a Saskatchewan connection.

Wilson, who grew up in Lake Francis, Man., is a research associate in the department of chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and is also science advisor to the dean's office in the university's College of Arts and Science. Wilson earned his PhD in chemistry at the U of S, the first Metis student to do so at the university. He will receive the award in the science and technology category.

Wilson said he felt both quite surprised and honoured when he found out he had been chosen to receive a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. Then, after thinking about it for a while, he began feeling a bit intimidated, because of the stature of the people who had received the award in the past.

Wilson is being recognized for the research work he is doing at the U of S, a continuation of the work he did while completing his thesis at the university from 1992 to 1998.

"It's research that's based on a fairly simple concept," he said. "What we're looking at here is looking at molecules that can be called container molecules. They're large molecules that have the ability to encapsulate other smaller molecules within itself. And they're based on the structure of glucose. And so if you could envision this in three-dimensional space, what it would look like is a pail with the bottom cut out. And this so called container molecule ends up having a lot of useful applications," he said.

"Although these materials have been known for quite some time, well over 100 years in fact, comparatively little is know about how they function ... what's not well know is the nature of the interaction between this container molecule and the molecules which it can encapsulate. So that was the premise of the PhD thesis, was to look at these interactions in solution and try to understand on a much more detailed level what actually is going on there. And so we did make quite a lot of progress in that I think, and we discovered things that previously had been not well known, certainly not reported. And we find that there's a very rich and dynamic behaviour that happens in these relatively simple systems. And the binding that happens is quite remarkable, and what it leads to is different strategies on how to deliver drugs into the body," he said.

"The exterior of this pail type molecule, this container molecule, is sugar-like. So it's very soluble in water. The interior, however, is oil-like, and so a lot of drugs, psychoactive drugs and anti-cancer drugs and so forth, they tend to be fat-soluble. And through either injection they are prescribed or other methods. But it turns out that these fat soluble type drugs, pharmaceutically active drugs, can be incorporated into the body in an oral dosage form by using this strategy, by forming complexes between container molecules and pharmaceutically active compounds. And in fact, you can take this further and effectively, in principal, you could target these into a particular cellular site, if you've got the capabilities to do that. So it's quite a remarkable area. And beyond that, I mean, you could even go forward and design new methods to purify water, for example, based on this principle, or do different types of separations, chemical separations. I mean, the list goes on."

While receiving the National Aboriginal Achievement Award will likely put Lee Wilson and his work more in the public eye than previously, up to this point, Wilson hasn't really seen himself as a role model. But if his ne-found status can help demystify the world of science, Wilson would be happy if he could play a role in that process.

"Let's put it this way, I guess any kind of PR that science gets, provided that its positive, is good for promoting anyone to want to get into sciences. I do think that a lot of people-and his is right across the board-a lot of people have a Hollywood view or persona, if you will, of science. And even the people that are in science. Because I can tell you, I have literally made people fall over when I started talking about the fact that I am in science and I'm doing this and that, because they always think that its someone that's older, middle-aged, kind of crazy looking like Albert Einstein or whatever," said the 34-year-old chemist.

"There's a stereotype with that. And I suppose that there's even a stereotype of what science really is. It's more than just test tubes and microscopes. There's a lot of really, really fascinating things that are going on," he said.

"Science is a very, very broad, interesting and a fascinating area. It covers everything from medicine to agriculture and all points in between. And I think a lot of people overlook that. They undervalue the importance of science."

Wilson has also been working to eliminate those sterotypes by taking part in events in the community. He recently was one of the judges at the Treaty 6 science fair held on Big River First Nation, where he made quite an impression on the young participants.

"I felt that that was an important thing to go to, the Big River science fair, because a lot of the youth there, they did some really, really good work, and it was nice to be able to tell them that, and to question them and to talk to them, and just see their excitement," he said.

"I think that's nice, to be able to step out of the university and be able to see how others are perceiving that world that I'm in all the time. Sometimes I lose sight of that, and it's nice to get that perspective. But it's also nice to show them that there are people there that will help them if they so choose."

While Wilson has had an interest in science since high school, he didn't chose his field of study until after his first year of university, when he was deciding between chemistry and psychology.

"They seem like two qite opposite choices, but I guess I've always had an interest in social things as well. But I just chose chemistry because it seemed like there were more opportunities and I had an interest in it as well," he said.

Wilson had some advice to give young people to ensure that they too can make career choices based on all the options available to them.

"I would say that it would be in anyone's favour who goes through high school to make sure that you take advantage of all the courses that are available to you. In other words, if you are thinking of possibly going to university, then make sure you take university entrance level classes. And the other thing is that, take all the possible classes that you can, I mean, within reason. So take all the maths that you can, take all of the sciences that you can, so that you know, when it's all said and done, what you're interests are, whether it's biology or physics or engineering or whatever the case may be. Because sometimes if you don't do that, then that really cuts down on your options later on.

"So I would say that you really should explore all the avenues. Don't restrict yourself by trying to take short cuts. And be really honest and legitimate with yourself and say, 'Did I really give this an honest try?' And if you didn't, then you know that you can do better. And I guess, you've got to listen to whatever that voice is that's inside you that knows what you're capable of doing."