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 Rebekah Rapoza, a biology major at Creighton University, talks about her INBRE experience.
What should we know about you?
“Although I have many passions, genetics has particularly fascinated me ever since I first encountered Punnett squares and the basis of genetic recombination in my high school biology textbook. Even then, I knew I was exploring science that will engage me for life. The variations, statistics, data, and analysis genetics requisites pique my interest. I enjoy deciphering the basis of recombinant chromosomes and mutations and debating the ethics and perils of cloning and comparing the double standards of eugenics in equines versus humans. I had always been homeschooled until attending college and this instilled in me a sincere love of learning, a quality which has only been deepened through my Creighton experience. I not only need to understand the “how” but also the “why.” I approach problems with excitement— eager to analyze, puzzle, test, and grow in the process and I am confident the INBRE program will equip me with the foundation to excel.”
What or who influenced your interest in science?
“While I have been slightly obsessed with genetics since Chapter 12 of my high school biology textbook, in my junior year of high school, I had the great honor of meeting with Dr. Lois Starr, a pediatric geneticist at Omaha’s Children’s Hospital and quickly realized my deep attraction to the field.”
What is it about science that excites you?
“Science offers a distinctive dimension to our reality that continues to excite and amaze me. As someone who doesn’t tend to be satisfied by surface answers, I have always appreciated how science encourages a deeper level of analysis and thought. It demands not only radical thinking and complex solving problem but also intensive strategy and incredible ingenuity. It’s a puzzle sans the guiding picture on the front cover of the box with several pieces missing and several extraneous ones added. Only by perseverance, cooperation, systematic failure and re-evaluation, and a fair bit of luck can you ever complete part of it. That’s what truly fascinates me.”
Will you pursue a career in science? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
“Pediatric genetics combines both my love of helping children with my love for genetics in a dynamic that I know will continue to challenge and engage me. I have been pursuing this goal since high school and believe that a strong background in research will help prepare me for the academic and intellectual rigors I will face as a professional. As such, I hope to be considered as an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate and further explore the underlying biochemical basis of processes and their application to biological contexts.”
Why is it important to have programs like INBRE?
“Being challenged, and challenging others, to stretch the mind and to engage in a deeper level of learning and commitment —this is why programs like INBRE are so rewarding.”
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