UNMC announces Holland Future Scientist award winners 

From left, oral presentation winners Sunayan Cheku, Hannah Ladwig, Emma Foley, Brigid Toomey and Noah Shackelford

Ten undergraduate students from four Nebraska colleges and universities recently received the 2023 Richard Holland Future Scientist Award from Nebraska Cures. 

The students received cash awards totaling $5,000 during the virtual INBRE (Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence Program) conference held Aug. 6-8. 
 
The awards are named in honor of the late Richard Holland, an Omaha philanthropist and longtime supporter of research. This is the 14th year for the awards. 
 
The students were judged in two categories — oral and poster presentations of the research work they conducted this summer as part of the INBRE program. 
 
The INBRE program is overseen by Paul Sorgen, PhD, a professor in the UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Sorgen is the principal investigator of the $16.2 million grant funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. 
 
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. 
 
The INBRE scholars enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation of their college professors. It is a two-year comprehensive training program to prepare the students for graduate school. 
 
The award winners are: 
 
Oral presentation:  

  • First place – Brigid Toomey 
  • Second place – Emma Foley 
  • Third place – Sunayan Cheku 
  • Honorable mention – Hannah Ladwig
  • Honorable mention – Noah Shackelford

Poster presentation:

  • First place – Abigail Swoboda 
  • Second place – Grace Jaworski 
  • Thiird place – Keegan Nitsch 
  • Honorable mention – Cami Bisson
  • Honorable mention – Amber Gadeken
From left, poster presentation winners Grace Jaworski, Cami Bisson, Abigail Swoboda, Amber Gadeken and Keegan Nitsch

1 comment

  1. Lisa Ross says:

    Congratulations

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