On May 28, the Nebraska Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program welcomed 29 undergraduate students from across Nebraska as they embark on their summer research experience at Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The INBRE program is overseen by Paul Sorgen, Ph.D., a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at UNMC 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 and to strengthen undergraduate institution's infrastructure and increase its capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.
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 receive 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 on their research project.
Below Gabriella Moore, a molecular and biomedical biology major at the University of Nebraska at Omaha talks about her INBRE experience.
Tell me about yourself. Who are your heroes?
“I am a rising junior at UNO, I love to create art in forms of makeup artistry and painting, I have a black cat, I love Halloween and I am a huge advocate for lupus awareness and women's rights. This will be my fourth year in a program at UNMC. I am a 2017 High School Alliance student and I've been working as a research technician and lab assistant for the past two years. My heroes aren't specific, but rather individuals and groups that are consistently trying to learn and better themselves or the people and places around them. I see a hero in teachers who go the extra mile for a student just as I see a hero in the girl walking down the beach picking up trash. We can all learn from each other and it's important to recognize that.”
What are your career goals?
“My career goals are essentially to do what I love. As a patient myself, it is extremely important for me to push myself to be the best physician possible. I am strongly considering an MD/PhD route in order to satisfy my love for science along with my love for people. Having an appreciation and understanding of research is so important to me. When providers have a strong background in treatment and pathological mechanisms, this leads to a better understanding of how to treat patients in clinic.”
How did you become interested in science?
“I first became interested in science my sophomore year of high school. I was never particularly great at it until I had a teacher who pushed us to really learn the material.”
What do you hope the INBRE program will do for you?
“I hope to learn new research methods, explore different areas of science, and find a path that would best fit my future goals! I've already had such a great experience and we've just started. I really know my passion is clinical work, but I have a massive soft spot for understanding why diseases take certain paths. I hope INBRE will prepare me for my graduate studies and help me develop new ways to think outside of the box.”
How do you see science evolving over the next 20 years?
“I see science getting very personalized. We have custom shampoos, razors, meal plans, everything we can imagine, except health care. With consistent development of the Human Genome and personalized medicine, I really do believe physicians, researchers, and health care professionals will have many more opportunities to really take medicine to the next level.”
We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Flickr