KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 23, 2024

Toni Kamau is a digger. When something grabs the Kennesaw State University sophomore’s attention, she wants to find out everything about it she can, which serves her well in research.

“When I assigned a goal for Toni and she reached that goal, she had the initiative to go further,” said Chloe Xie, assistant professor of information technology and Kamau’s research mentor in the First-Year Scholars Program.

Last fall and spring semesters, Kamau worked with Xie, along with other students to examine processes of how DNA is damaged and how it repairs itself.

“DNA damage is related to many common diseases – for example, lung cancer, and breast cancer, which are life threatening to people around the world,” Xie said.

Kamau and her fellow researchers are motivated by the opportunity to advance the treatment of disease.

“Getting a deeper understanding of how enzymes repair damaged DNA could help scientists learn how to replicate the process and find drug targets,” Kamau said. “It has the biggest implications with cancer treatment research.”

Kamau presented results of the research project during the Spring Symposium of Student Scholars and is looking forward to continuing undergraduate research.

“My long-term goals are to get into biotechnology or bioinformatics as a career,” Kamau said. “I'm hoping that once I complete my current degree in computer science that I could further specialize with a graduate degree. I am invested in trying to continue this kind of research.”

Kamau spent three years attending Alcovy High School in Covington, Georgia before moving to Chesterfield, Virginia where she graduated from Cosby High School.

“I was in marching band all four years, as well as concert band,” she said. In college, she wanted to study computer science, and Kennesaw State’s College of Computing and Software Engineering led her back to Georgia.

“It was through Girls Who Code where it was recommended to me to go to Kennesaw State,” Kamau said.

Xie is happy for the opportunity to teach and work with Kamau.

“As a First-Year Scholar, she is one of the best students I have ever worked with,” Xie said. “Toni’s strength is her critical thinking, which is valuable to her research.”

– Story by Gary Tanner

Photos by Darnell Wilburn

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.