<p>After three years of juggling a full class load and a part-time research job, Tom Clarke?s hard work will pay off when he heads to Oxford University on the prestigious Marshall Scholarship next fall. <br/>Awarded to about 40 American students each year, the Marshall Scholarship covers all costs of earning a two-year degree at a British university. Students are awarded the scholarship based on several factors, including their scholarly aptitude and their chosen course of study, according to the Marshall Scholarship Web site. <br/>Clarke, a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, does research with Rachelle Crosbie, an assistant professor in the department of physiological sciences at UCLA. Crosbie?s team discovered a protein called sarcospan, which may play a part in treating the neuromuscular disease muscular dystrophy. Crosbie?s discovery of sarcospan is related to research done by Kay Davies, a professor at Oxford University, which prompted Clarke to apply to work there with her. <br/>?One of the leading experts in my field of research is at Oxford, which is what set me apart? from other scholarship applicants, Clarke said. <br/>Clarke is the first student from UCLA to receive the Marshall Scholarship in five years, according to the scholarship Web site. <br/>The Marshall Scholarship is ?one of the most prestigious scholarships out there,? said Rebecca Blustein, a student affairs officer at the Scholarship Resource Center. <br/>Crosbie said none of her former students have won this scholarship. <br/>?This happens once in a career; I am blessed with a student like that,? she said. <br/>Clarke said he was intrigued by the opportunity to study in a foreign country because he has yet to set foot outside the United States. <br/>?I plan to travel through Europe on my breaks,? he said. ?I hope to experience some sort of personal growth and maturity.? <br/>Clarke said that along with experiencing a new country, his focus on research at Oxford will help him to become a better scientist. <br/>?I will spend two full years dedicated to my research instead of trying to be a student as well as conduct research,? he said. <br/>Crosbie said Clarke?s award of the scholarship came as no surprise to her. <br/>?He is an amazing student. He is bright, enthusiastic and a pure delight to work with,? she said. <br/>Clarke has made significant contributions to Crosbie?s lab at UCLA, notably his experiments involving ciliary diseases, Crosbie said. <br/>Ciliary disease is caused by a defect in the movement of hairlike structures called cilia, which are found in many places in the body. <br/>The main function of cilia in the throat is to act like small brooms to clear mucus, which traps germs. A person with immobile cilia experiences recurring respiratory infections because mucus can not be properly cleared, Crosbie said. <br/>Clarke worked with Janine Bekker, a graduate student in Crosbie?s research group, to demonstrate that a protein called Gas11 controls cilia functions. Importantly, patients with recurring respiratory illness have defects in Gas11. <br/>Though he is now dedicated to research, Clarke said he was not always sure he wanted to get involved with research. <br/>Research is ?not something I came in here thinking I definitely wanted to, but it did influence my decision to come to UCLA because there are so many opportunities here,? he said. <br/>Coming from Arizona, he knew nobody when he started at UCLA and decided to join a fraternity to meet people. But after a few weeks, he realized that Greek life was not for him. <br/>?That was a turning point,? Clarke said. ?If I went down that road and had given in to stuff they wanted me to do, I can?t imagine I would be the position I?m in now.? <br/>?I would have had more fun, but I wouldn?t have had these opportunities,? he said. <br/>At the end of his first year, Clarke knew he was interested in the sciences and e-mailed about 50 professors looking to help with research. <br/>He said Crosbie was the only professor who responded. <br/>?Maybe (the low response rate) was because I was a first year,? he said, ?but there can always be improved access for undergraduates to get involved with research.? <br/>Crosbie said she receives several e-mails every day from undergraduates looking to perform research, but Clarke?s stood out because it was well thought out and very well written. <br/>?He wrote a very humble and respectful ... e-mail. It looked like he took the time to write an e-mail specifically about our research program,? she said. <br/>Crosbie can attest to Clarke?s dedication to education. <br/>?We tease him in the lab because he?s 21 going on 40; he?s very serious and very goal-oriented,? she said. <br/>Clarke is in the middle of applying to medical school. He said he planned on going directly to medical school after graduation from UCLA, but is happy to put it off to go to Oxford. <br/>?To take some time off is going to be nice,? he said.</p><br><br><a href='; target='_blank'>;