INBRE scholar a 15-year-old sophomore … in college!

Crystal Vander Zanden

Crystal Vander Zanden has accomplished more than most youth her age.

The 15-year-old has graduated high school, completed two years of college and now she’s a participant in the INBRE program.

“I love to problem solve and figure out how things work,” said Vander Zanden, a junior at Doane College in Crete, Neb. “When I was younger I was interested in how the human body worked.”

Vander Zanden has read since she was 3-years-old and would often spend hours reading a medical encyclopedia when she got bored.

“It fascinated me to read about all the things that are going on inside of our bodies,” she said.

Established in 2001, the INBRE Scholars program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research and build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions.

Vander Zanden has read since she was 3-years-old and would often spend hours reading a medical encyclopedia when she got bored.

Students like Vander Zanden — well most of them are a bit older than Vander Zanden — enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation by their college professors.

Vander Zanden was referred to the program by INBRE faculty associate and Doane College professor, Andrea Holmes, Ph.D.

She is assigned to the lab of Jack Morris, Ph.D., an expert in plant virology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

There she will be conducting research to further confirm earlier findings that show how a plant’s immune system is triggered.

“I hope this experience will help me become more comfortable in a lab environment and make connections with other researchers,” Vander Zanden said.