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 Tyler Sherrill, an electrical engineering major at Doane University, talks about his INBRE experience.
Who is Tyler Sherrill?
“I am a 20 year old young man studying electrical engineering at Doane University. I am also student-athlete participating on the Mens' soccer team. I am aiming to complete my Masters of electrical engineering in the next few years. Challenging myself to become a better me in all aspects has always been a motivation. When I'm back home away from school I can be found hanging with the boys (you know who you are) at the beach in St. Joe. I wouldn't be able to do what I've done so far or be who I am without the love and support of my momma and the rest of my family.”
Has science always been a part of your life?
“Science has always been apart of my life. In more ways than I sometimes notice. As a kid I loved math, I exceled and found it easy. It wasn't until Junior year of high school that it became apparent that science and mathematics crossed in many ways, whether it was creating electromagnetics with batteries or using differential equations to figure out the inductance in a circuit.”
How is it important to you?
“Science is important to me because without an understanding of how the things work in the world then we just stay still without moving forward. There are tons of different categories of science all working collectively or separate that provide simple understandings of why everything happens.”
Why did you choose to participate in the INBRE program?
“I decided to join the INBRE program at first to help build my resources and connections however, my mentor and a friend of mine at Doane explained the possibilities that the INBRE program offers to a select few of undergraduate students. Since they provide a chance to work under a professional in their lab and guide you, I saw a chance to develop skills I had not yet discovered.”
What do you hope to gain from the program?
“I hope to gain an understanding of what it is like to be a graduate student as well as learn to conduct my own research in a professional manner. I would like to develop critical thinking of my own that isn't in a classroom setting.”
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