Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session showcases lab science, recruits next generation of healthcare providers

Dozens of students capped off their summer research experiences at the School of Medicine & Health Sciences this week when a collection of undergraduate research programs partnered up to present the School’s annual Summer Undergraduate Research Poster Session. The programs included the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program; the NIH IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)-funded Summer Undergraduate Biomedical Research Experience program; the American Society for Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program; and the ND EPSCoR and NSF QUEST programs.

One such student, Hutchinson, Minn., native Gavin Fitzgerald, found himself reflecting during the poster session on how he almost missed the opportunity to dive into biomedical research this year.

“I reached out to one of my previous mentors and was asking if they knew about any summer research programs,” said the UND psychology major. “He sent me a link to this program, and it was a great experience.”

“This program” for Fitzgerald was the ASPET, funded by ASPET. The goal of the program is to attract talented undergraduate students in North Dakota majoring in science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM) to careers in the biomedical sciences.

See a video of student presenters here

“It’s always cool seeing a lot of people who have similar interests in one area because when you have a science background, and you’re out in the public, you’re not going to find a lot of people who say ‘Yes, I know what that is,’” Fitzgerald continued. “It’s really kind of cool when you find a bunch of people who all have similar thoughts and interests.”

Althea Hovde agreed. The Minot native relished her time at this year’s poster session – after all it will be her last.

“I’m a senior at UND this year, so I won’t be able to be in the program again, but anyone else who wants to do it – make sure to do it,” Hovde said. “I really enjoy working in the lab, and I’ve met a lot of great people through the lab. My friend Emmy, and I are best friends through the lab, so it’s really fun.”

This, said Professor Rebecca Simmons, is the point: science is and can be immensely fun. The entomologist with the UND Department of Biology coordinates the UND College of Arts & Sciences NSF Quest program.

“Things went so well this summer,” said Simmons. “We had students from UND and from other institutions across the country, from California to North Carolina to Montana, and they were a really talented group. We really got the best of the best.”

Such programs are about more than introducing undergraduates to laboratory science, of course. They also double as recruitment drives. This is part of why Minot native and UND student Cole Guttormson was presenting his poster.

“I think that people don’t realize it, but a lot of medicine happens in a lab as well, so we couldn’t do what we want to do in the future as future providers – physicians – if the people working in the lab aren’t doing what they’re doing,” said the prospective medical student as he described his poster to passers-by. “When I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to go into medicine, and UND was a pretty obvious pick. But I think something about UND is that it’s a very team-focused university, and I enjoy working on a team. Since UND provides that opportunity to work in a team, and everybody gets to work together, it seemed like the best option.”