We are excited to share that Alex Quackenbush (’15) was awarded the Rita W. Peterson Award in Science Education from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for the Pacific Division and placed second place in her division for her presentation (held at University of California Riverside)! Her presentation included 15 minutes of presenting and five minutes of answering questions. Her project, “Ethics Tutorial for Students Engaging in Undergraduate Biological Research” and was done as part of the University’s Dundon-Berchtold Fellowships and focused on ethics education for students working in undergraduate biological research.
When asked what her biggest challenged she faced with completing her project she admitted it was getting people to respond to the survey! She sent out the survey to about 160 students (juniors and seniors in bio labs) and only received 29 responses. She adds, “From a mathematical point of view this was horrid! It meant my sample size was too small to be able to do much statistical analysis. That being said, the data we got was useful and painted an interesting picture of the understanding of ethical behaviors in research that students possessed.”
In addition, her experience at UC Riverside was very positive. As she recalls, “I really enjoyed my experience at UC Riverside. The campus is so different from ours – it is huge and seemingly perpetually sunny! It was interesting to compare and contrast what the feel is like on the two campuses. It was valuable to take part in the meeting as I was able to talk to researchers from all over the west coast area and see what they were studying. I had the opportunity to talk to grad students at UCR and pick their brains a bit for what it is like to be a grad student (it is way different from undergrad!).”
Alex will be graduating (on time) this May as a member of the University’s Honor Program with a double major in Biology and Mathematics. She is looking forward to attending graduate school and hopes to ultimately work for a biotech company. How has she accomplished all this? Here are some thoughts she was willing to share!
Having such a large academic investment both for double majoring and being a member of the Honor Program, how do you do it? How have you found time to balance responsibilities?
“A couple of things have helped me get to the point where I will be graduating on time in May with a double major. The first is that I came in with credits from AP and college courses taken in high school. These allowed me to “skip” many of the humanities-type courses and focus on math and science. I also took classes during the first two summers in college: the first summer I studied abroad in Salzburg and the second I took Anatomy and Lab at UP.
Aside from these two practical aspects, it has just been a lot of hard work and commitment. It helps that I love what I study. I think if that wasn’t the case I would not have been able to do it. Amidst the classes and work, I stay sane with exercise, cooking, and leading a relatively low-key life.”
Is there a particular class that you found interesting or that you really enjoyed?
“I am hard-pressed to find a course I did not either enjoy or find interesting. Even if the courses themselves weren’t my favorite, the professors who taught them have made the experience great. If I had to choose one course that interested me the most I would go with immunology. I took it last fall with Dr. Susan Murray (who was an adjunct at the time but is joining the faculty this fall!). I loved the subject material and the way Dr. Murray presented it. The immune system is incredible and there is so much we still don’t know about it.”
Do you have advice to pass along for beginning Biology Majors?
“I would advise beginning bio majors to keep an open mind about what they want to do in the future and what their interests are. You may think coming into college that you want to go to med school or dental school or grad school, but don’t let that limit your experience. I have been very lucky to be involved in a couple different research projects in very different areas. This wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t say yes to the opportunities that presented themselves and didn’t go after the things I was interested in studying. So I would say to be open and seek out experiences that interest you.”
Congratulations, Alex! We wish you all the best as you finish out your senior year and start the next chapter in your life!