INBRE Scholars: Hayleigh Salsbury

The Nebraska Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program has welcomed 27 undergraduate students from across Nebraska as they embark on their summer research experience at Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and UNMC.

Below, Haleigh Salsbury, a biology major at the College of Saint Mary, talks about her INBRE experience.

Who are your heroes?

My parents and grandparents because they have taught me how to work hard to get the things I want in life and that things don’t just fall in your lap, you have to work hard for them. They made me the person I am today, and if it wasn’t for them, I might not have the hopes and dreams that I do.

What are your career goals?
I would like to become a doctor and possibly do some research.

How did you become interested in science?
I became interested in science by thinking about what we have accomplished and what we still have left to accomplish. Science also is one of the few things that I have unlimited questions and thoughts about constantly, which makes me more interested in science and makes me want to learn more.

What do you hope the INBRE program will do for you?
I hope the INBRE program will help me better decide if I want to just go to medical school or go into an M.D./Ph.D. program.

How do you see science evolving over the next 20 years?

I see a lot of changes over the next 20 years. I see an expansion across the field in different areas. I see a possible cure for cancer and vaccinations for some things that we don’t have vaccinations for.

About the INBRE program

The INBRE program is overseen by James Turpen, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and a professor in UNMC's Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, and principal investigator of the $16.2 million National Institutes of Health grant that supports the program.

Established in 2001, the INBRE program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research, build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions, strengthen the infrastructure of undergraduate institutions, and increase their capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.

This year's 27 INBRE Scholars represent:

nine colleges and universities;

four states, including Iowa, Minnesota, California and Colorado;

three foreign countries, including India, Japan and Vietnam;

16 women; and

11 men.

The students, referred to as INBRE Scholars, enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation by their college professors. The students are given a two-year scholarship and spend 10 weeks each summer conducting research on either their home campus or at UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Creighton University.

At the end of the summer the students attend the INBRE annual meeting where they give an oral presentation.

INBRE Scholars: Hayleigh Salsbury

About the INBRE program

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