EAST LANSING, Mich. – Had Michigan State University senior Timothy Howes lived 200 years ago, he’d have been a naturalist who traveled the world cataloguing new organisms.
Instead, he is majoring in chemical engineering at MSU and has traveled the world in search of new research experiences that will help him toward his goal. Howes plans to pursue a career in biotechnology and bioengineering and hopes to eventually engineer bacterial strains that can help break down environmental pollutants and make for cleaner chemical and pharmaceutical production.
Howes’ goals and research experiences have resulted in his selection for a prestigious 2006 Churchill Scholarship to pursue graduate study at the University of Cambridge in Great Britain. Only 10 to 12 Churchill Scholarships are awarded annually, and they cover all tuition and fees plus stipends for living expenses and travel.
Howes is MSU’s 15th Churchill Scholar, and he plans to pursue a master’s of philosophy, or M.Phil, in computational biology at Cambridge.
Needless to say, Howes is thrilled to have been selected. “I’m very excited to explore some new territory before launching into a Ph.D. Cambridge is a perfect fit for someone with my academic interests,” said Howes.
But he’s got even more reason to be a perfect choice for a Churchill Scholarship: His great-great- uncle, Sam Howes, was Winston Churchill’s chauffer for several years. [In 1932, Sam Howes married the Churchills' parlor maid, Olive. He was a mechanical engineer and went on to a career in aeronautics, working on the development of jet engines in the early 1940s. He and his wife moved to Canada in 1955 and to California in 1957. He retired as group engineer at the Solar Aircraft Co. in San Diego in 1970. He maintained correspondence with Churchill and his wife and daughter throughout his life.
"I'm sure he would have been proud to see me start my career as an engineer with support from the Churchill Foundation,” said Howes.
A member of MSU’s Honors College, Howes has been working closely with professor Mark Worden in chemical engineering and materials science, and professor John Ohlrogge in plant biology.
According to Ohlrogge, who has been working with Howes for about two years, Howes has that rare combination of modesty, intellectual curiosity and ambition that will serve him well.
“Tim is shy, but he has that ability to be a leader while being very modest,” said Ohlrogge. “He has jumped at every opportunity that has come his way, and his research experiences have definitely benefited his work in my lab. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with as many types of research experience as an undergraduate. Plus, he’s dedicated to doing something good for the world; he’s not just in it for personal gain.”
Two summers ago, Howes worked in a plant biology lab at the University of Hawaii, and last summer he spent 10 weeks doing research at the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences of the Claremont Colleges consortium. This past fall he took part in a research project in a bioreaction engineering lab at Osaka University in Japan.
“These experiences have made me feel at home in a laboratory and have allowed me to learn first-hand about the techniques of molecular biology and biochemistry,” said Howes. According to Ohlrogge, these are techniques that Howes will use the rest of his career.
But that isn’t even the end of Howes’ exploration. While abroad in Panama, he joined field researchers studying the biodiversity of the Central American rainforests and coral reefs, ultimately writing a report on bioprospecting – the search for valuable chemicals and genes from exotic organisms – as a way to support conservation efforts. He explored the tension between agriculture and rainforest preservation in Nicaragua. While in Europe he visited the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to learn about food safety and food-borne diseases.
“The research at these organizations helps to shape international policy on food trade, so I was able to see one of the ways that scientific research affects people around the world,” said Howes.
Howes’ list of accomplishments at MSU has been impressive. He came to MSU as a recipient of the Alumni Distinguished Scholarship, the university’s highest merit award for undergraduates. Last year he was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship for top students in math, science and engineering. He also is the recipient of a Dow Junior Competitive Scholarship, Cole Study Abroad Award, Professorial Assistantship and a National Merit Scholarship.
It would seem that Howes would have time for little else but research and school work, but he manages to be a fully engaged member of the MSU community. He has served as a student government representative of the College of Engineering, associate fiction editor for a local literary review, a member of honor societies for chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, and a member of the scuba club. In whatever spare time he has, Howes enjoys drawing, reading and playing guitar.
The Churchill Scholarships are awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation to outstanding U.S. students to pursue graduate study in engineering, mathematics and sciences at Churchill College, University of Cambridge.
Howes is the son of David and Deborah Howes of Brighton (48116).
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