Shirin Golkar, an honors student at Palmetto Senior High School, was nominated as a Silver Knight recipient "almost by accident."

SHIRIN GOLKAR

"It's not something I set out to do," said Golkar, who was nominated in the science category. "I guess it just came about because of my research."

This past summer, Golkar worked with Dr. Ramin Mirhashemi, a physician-scientist at Jackson Memorial Hospital on a research project to help cancer patients. They were looking for ways to improve the treatment for patients with gynecological cancer and to help avoid post-surgical complications.

"I helped Dr. Mirhashemi to look

through the patients' records for specific things, and then did a statistical analysis,"Golkar explained. "We were trying to find a pattern."

"That really affected me, because each paper I read was a person's life and many times the person didn't live," she continued. "Our research was able to help a little, but obviously we didn't find a cure for cancer. But that has only inspired me more to pursue a career in medical research."

Golkar, who holds a Grade Point Average of 5.62, has always excelled in science, but biology has always been her favorite subject.

"I like the way you can use the knowledge of science, especially biology, to help people overcome diseases or handicaps," she said. "I like the human applications."

For the past four years, Golkar was a volunteer in the mechanical engineering lab at Florida International University, "but the research there was about heat transfer rates for cooling metals. While it was interesting, it was not something that would have an immediate effect on people's lives, and I am more interested in the human applications of science and research.

"But while I was there, I met Dr. Ebrahim Bigzadeh, a physics professor, who invited me to work in FIU's science lab," she said. "He is a genius and he is renowned for being a very good teacher. He taught me so much, as did Dr. Mirhashemi. Both of them have become my role models, because they are so dedicated to their work as well as to helping others."

But it's not "all work and no play" for Golkar. Karate is her favorite sport and she has been training for five years at Miami-Dade Community College's Kendall Campus.

"I like the workout and the fact that you need a lot of mental concentration along with quick reflexes," said the black belt martial artist.

Golkar also has tutored younger students at Coral Reef Library and participated in many school activities.

How does she stay so active?

"I try not to think about it. I just do it," she said. "The Silver Knight nomination has also been a great inspiration for me to continue my research.

While Golkar is still deciding between a career as a doctor or as a research scientist, she is sure of one thing.