Bioengineering senior Craig Richard’s ideal summer consists of molecules, DNA sequences and French mountains.
Richard worked in Grenoble, France, during the summer at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission where he was a researcher for its Institute for Nanosciences and Cryogenics. While in France, he researched ways to improve the sensitivity of Surface Plasmon Resonance, an optical technique used in the study of molecular interactions for genetic research.
“This technology has a lot of applications,” Richard said. “It can be used for things like defense, food quality assurance, disease biomarker detection. It’s a very versatile technique.”
For his experiment, Richard used a DNA biochip, which consists of a gold surface on a glass prism. The gold surface had a specific DNA sequence bound to it, and different DNA sequences flowed over the gold surface as Richard observed the interactions among the DNA sequences.
The result was a change in the seqeuence’s reflectivity based on how two sequences interacted. Richard and his colleagues attempted to increase the response by introducing gold nano-objects.
Richard said he spent his weekdays in the lab but used his weekends off to explore France and the surrounding area. While abroad, he visited Paris, Versailles and Barcelona, Spain, among other iconic cities.
It took a while to get accustomed to the new environment, Richard said, because the people live at a slower pace. Where he lived in Grenoble, there are several research facilities, so there were many English-speaking people in the area.
“It’s very cool because you can be walking down the street and hear people talking about science,” Richard said. “You don’t always get that experience walking down the street in the U.S.”
Richard’s research in France has ties to his work here at LSU. He is trying to develop a DNA-based cancer treatment by trying to attach a molecule to a DNA strand belonging to a sequence found in certain kinds of cancer.
If successful, researchers could introduce a drug that could render that DNA sequence inactive, Richard said. The cancer cell could no longer produce the proteins or signals it needs to survive or grow.
Richard said two or three startup products were developed by the lab he worked in. An electronic nose and an electronic tongue were two of note.
The electronic nose was marketed for those who have anosmia, the inability to smell. The device can detect certain environmental hazards, such as a gas leak or alert the user of bad personal body odor.
The tongue can differentiate between liquids, such as coffee, wine or milk and can track the products’ ages. The device is able to tell the difference between 1-day-old milk and 4-day-old milk.
Richard said he always has been interested in science and wanted to find a way to merge that love with a desire to help people. He was introduced to bioengineering in high school and did his senior project through an LSU biotechnology lab.
Now, he does his research in that same building.
The LA-STEM program also played a big part in Richard’s development as a bioengineering student. He said he was encouraged to apply for the internship by a mentor within the program.
“They were really instrumental in getting me established in the scientific field,” Richard said.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Ari Ross

Bioengineering senior Craig Richard spent the summer in France researching nanoscience and cryogenics.