Spring 2004

by Mary LeClair

On her desk in Comstock Hall, Julia James keeps a shiny, black, 1940s Underwood. Yes, an old-fashioned, heavier-than-anything typewriter. James has spent many a night pounding out prose, creative nonfiction and poetry in her dorm room.

Why use such a relic, you ask? It’s all about the creative experience it fashions, says James—the soreness in her hands, the sound of the carriage bell. There is also the permanence: Her words are hard to erase, and that forces her to think before striking the keys.

On other nights, James hikes to Winn-Seeley and slips into the dance studio after students have finished class. “They leave, and I just take off my shoes and move,” she says.

Occasionally she has fun with a Hip Hop tune or gets contemplative with a classical piece, but most of the time she just dances in silence, choreographing in her mind. It is a passion she has carried with her since childhood, when she and her sister made up dances and performed them for their family.

Typically, James writes and dances for sheer enjoyment alone, not for a class or club. Within this realm, she is able to keep her creative expression private. Not so with regard to her scientific accomplishments.

As reported throughout the national media in December, James was named one of this year’s 32 Rhodes Scholars. She is the first William Smith student to have earned the honor and only the third in the history of the Colleges, after Ralph C. Willard in 1904 and Emerson George Spies in 1936. The Brooklyn native will continue her studies at Oxford University in England, pursuing a doctorate in HIV immunology. The scholarship provides three years of study.

President Mark D. Gearan says James’ academic excellence and her integrity and character, coupled with the high degree of academic engagement she’s had with faculty and staff, made her an ideal candidate.

“The Rhodes Committee selects only 32 Americans for this prestigious fellowship. They recognized Julia’s many accomplishments and her potential to make a real difference in this world,” Gearan says.
Her fervor has often resulted in James being the last person to leave the laboratory at night, and finds her there on weekends and throughout the summer too. And yet she still finds time to bang away at the Underwood and trip the light fantastic.

“I wouldn’t be the scientist I am without also being an artist,” she says.
James is always on the lookout for a way to unite her passions. She experiments with a writing form she calls the scientific personal essay, which combines poetry and science.

In its purest form, her scientific research is also about expression, as she strives to make her work understandable and accessible to everyone. “Writing clearly opens the doors to people,” she says.
Originally intending to major in English at the Colleges, James got hooked on chemistry after a class with Professor David Craig, which she took in order to fulfill a core requirement. It was Craig who told her about the HIV/AIDS research under way in the lab of Professor Carol Parish. The topic fascinated her.

“I had an opportunity to read articles about the larger issues, about how AIDS is affecting the world at large,” James says. “It really helped put in perspective what I was doing and what I could do. I am not just modeling these molecules on a computer. This technique will actually have an effect on people around the world.”

Much of her research has focused on HIV and AIDS, as she studies the difference in molecular flexibility of protease inhibitor drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The research broadens the understanding of the molecular behavior of drug molecules and will ultimately explain why some drugs are more effective than others in treating HIV and AIDS.

The English major in her still gets quite a workout as well. James approaches her study of the arts with the same genuine enthusiasm she brings to chemistry.

“Julia experiments boldly, developing an innovative aesthetic that allows her to interweave scientific facts with dramatic scenes as a means of understanding human relationships,” says Professor of English Deborah Tall. “It’s extraordinary that a pre-med and award-winning chemistry student should be one of the best literature and creative writing students I’ve taught here.”

Dance Professor Cynthia Williams applauds James’ multidimensionality. “Through long conversations with Julia I have been impressed with the articulation of her thoughts on education, creativity, self-expression, theater, poetry, science and the need to exist in the world as a force for good,” says Williams. “Her love of language and the creative arts, her passion for scientific inquiry and discovery, and her respect for all beings are beautifully balanced components of her personality.”
After far exceeding the expectations of any undergraduate, James moved on and began considering life after HWS.

In the summer following her sophomore year, she began exploring graduate program opportunities and discovered the elite league of Rhodes Scholars. She met with Dean Clarence Butler, who oversees the Rhodes process at HWS.

Butler is impressed by the determination, strong work ethic and compassion for others James has exhibited in the past two years. “Julia is a persistent, self-directed, even stubborn young woman. She knows what she wants, and she sets out to discover the various ways in which to achieve her goals. If one path yields no results, she will try others before abandoning her goal as unattainable,” he says.

“I am totally convinced that Julia will achieve greatness, but I am equally convinced that she will always bear the underdog in mind in everything that she does.”

Professor Parish agrees. “Julia will reach the pinnacle of scientific achievement not only because of her intellectual gifts for understanding science, but also for her graciousness and gentleness when interacting with others.”

Steady persistence and great time management skills have gotten this aspiring physician, scientist, public health advocate, writer and dancer where she is today. James has heeded her passions, explored her interests and achieved a milestone at William Smith with her appointment as a Rhodes Scholar. She goes on to Oxford eager to begin clinical work with HIV-positive patients and explore virusology and immunology. She’s even considering forming her own organization that would help bridge patient care and research for those with HIV/AIDS. She also vows to continue writing and dancing while progressing as a scientist.

Despite all this, James says she’s “still growing” and doesn’t yet consider herself a researcher, dancer or poet. But, true to form, she’s “working on it.”