Undergraduate Student Biology Research Inspired by Passion for Environmental Justice

Dec. 11, 2024

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences

Makayla Stephens, a sophomore majoring in biology, is blending her love for research with her passion for environmental justice in her involvement in Louisville Air Justice and in research labs at UofL.

Working in Dr. David Heins's lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Stephens is focused on the toxicological effects of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs), harmful chemicals found in air pollution. This summer, Stephens gained valuable, hands-on experience in the lab through funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ KEEP program. KEEP (Kentucky Excellence in Educator Preparation) supports undergraduate students in environmental health sciences research, aiming to motivate students to pursue advanced degrees in this pivotal area, aligning perfectly with Stephens’s career goals.

These pollutants, although typically present in smaller quantities, are more toxic than other pollutants and are linked to serious health concerns like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Through her research, Stephens and her team are investigating how genetic variations in enzymes, such as N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) and cytochrome P450 (CYP1A2), influence the body's ability to process nitro-PAHs.

The goal is to understand how these variations affect the risk of DNA damage and susceptibility to cancer, potentially leading to more targeted interventions for people exposed to these pollutants.

“We measured toxicity based on double-stranded DNA breaks, which can cause mutations and potentially lead to cancer,” Stephens said.

Stephens’s interest in environmental health and toxicology grew from her involvement with Air Justice, an environmental health literacy project dedicated to improving air quality in West Louisville.

There, she collected air quality data and worked with community members to address major disparities in air pollution that disproportionately affect low-income and African-American communities.

"The profound effects of environmental health piqued my interest in toxicology," Stephens said. "I wanted to work on research that would amplify voices in the community and help mitigate these issues through both public health and science."

Stephens’s work is not only driven by scientific curiosity but also by a desire for social impact.

“My commitment to environmental health is strongly tied to my future goal of becoming a physician,” she says. “I hope to focus on public health initiatives for underserved communities, where understanding environmental factors will be essential for providing inclusive patient care."

For students considering research opportunities, Stephens highlights the thrill of the unknown.

"In the lab, you're not just following a pre-set experiment like in a classroom. You're exploring new questions, and that’s what excites me—solving puzzles and discovering how things go wrong in the body,” she said.

Stephens’s journey, from her advocacy work with Air Justice to her scientific exploration of toxicology, reflects her deep passion for addressing environmental issues that impact human health.

She hopes her research will one day contribute to clinical studies and public health regulations that can reduce the exposure communities face and protect people from harmful pollutants, particularly for those most vulnerable.