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 Grace Su, a biomedical engineering major at Doane University, talks about her INBRE experience.
Who is Grace Su?
“I am half Chinese, nonbinary and bisexual. At school, I am a tutor and a teaching assistant for the Biology 110 class and am a peer consultant for Doane's Center for Computing in the Liberal Arts. I am involved in theatre as well as science. I enjoy singing and dance also. I like to be involved in the arts as a hobby to help me relax and balance out my "science side." I am ambitious and like to keep busy, but still like to goof off with my friends. I love learning and sometimes overload myself because I try and do too many things. I like to be silly and loud and make people laugh. From second grade all through high school, I was in Girls Scouts and got my Gold Award. I am a hair model for hair colorist Michael Yocum in San Jose and have been published a few times. “
Has science always been a part of your life?
“Science has always been part of my life. When I was really young, I was obsessed with volcanoes and wanted to study them when I got older. My family always encouraged my interest in science. My younger brother was born with Achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, so we met with lots of geneticists. This piqued my interest in genetics which eventually led to my specific interest in genetic engineering.”
How is it important to you?
“Science is incredibly important to me. I love figuring out how things work and I want to help people. Science, for me, is the best way for me to mix the two. I am especially interested in researching genetic diseases and disabilities and hopefully help develop some sort of treatment for them. Because my brother has dwarfism and my mom works with disabled children, I have seen how the world can be difficult to navigate when you have a disability. Finding some treatment that can make this navigation of the world easier is incredibly important.”
Why did you choose to participate in the INBRE program?
“I was considering my options when it came to summer research so I talked with my professors who encouraged me to join the program. I was interested in the research opportunities that it could give me, so I decided to apply. I am so excited to be a part of this program!”
What do you hope to gain from the program?
“I hope to gain research experience and skills that I have not learned yet that I can apply in research and classes later. This program will hopefully also help me get into graduate school. Through the INBRE program, I hope to build connections and network with others. I also hope that I can learn more in depth what it is like to be in a research laboratory. I am excited to learn a lot, increase my research skills and work in the lab!”
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