塑造一个科学家

It all began during her sophomore year at Agnes Scott when she took a molecular biology course that incorporated an inquiry-based lab under the instruction of associate professor 和 chair of biology Dr. 詹妮弗Larimore. This became the first lab course Alex had ever taken that required her to develop her own research project over the course of an entire semester. Dr. Larimore’s own research was incorporated into the inquiry-based lab, 和 Alex 和 her two lab mates were tasked with investigating a cellular system that could be altered in Rett syndrome or schizophrenia model systems. Their findings culminated in poster presentations at the college’s Spring Annual Research Conference (SpARC) 和 the Scotties with Nerves Symposium 为 which they were awarded runner-up 为 Best Poster Presentation.

This was the jumping off point 为 Alex’s newfound love 为 research, 和 she decided to apply 为 the college’s STEM学者计划. The STEM学者计划, provides full-time summer research experiences to Agnes Scott students in various STEM disciplines. 茎的学者 students are mentored by STEM faculty to conduct cutting-edge research, helping them gain essential skills 为 STEM scholarship 和 work为ce leadership, while giving them a stronger underst和ing of how researchers build new knowledge.

For Alex’s summer research experience, she was placed in the Larimore Lab, a cellular neuroscience lab, 并由博士指导. Larimore, who later asked Alex to be a permanent lab assistant in her working lab.

“While there’s an overall research goal that the lab works toward, each student assistant also has their own independent assays 和 molecular experiments that they run, analyze 和 report back to Dr. Larimore on,亚历克斯说. “最近, we helped each other put the data 和 images into a manuscript, which we then submitted to a peer reviewed science journal. 这样的经历, 等, has been integral in contributing to my professional development 和 in helping me to underst和 where my niche is in STEM.”

博士. Larimore as a faculty mentor, 100 percent of her mentees get experience presenting their scientific work through poster presentations, 和 24 percent have their work published. Mentee names have appeared alongside Dr. Larimore’s in research published in no less than 13 peer reviewed journals such as the Journal of Neuroscience 和 遗传学前沿. “Our students frequently tell of better underst和ing their career path based on these experiential moments,”医生说。. Larimore, who is also the co-director of the college’s popular Neuroscience Program. “除了, coursework at a small liberal arts colleges enhance a STEM student’s ability to think critically 和 view science in the context of other topics.”

Alex has also benefited from the college’s various resource centers, such as the Resource Center 为 Math 和 Science where she sought guidance from tutors, 和 the Center 为 Writing & Speaking where her personal statement was reviewed 和 improved upon. 她认为. 莫莉相关, Director of STEM Mentored Research, 为 giving her advice on post-graduate plans 和 teaching her how to better articulate her research. 

“While the primary focus of STEM学者计划 is the authentic research experience, another aspect that I emphasize to students is the importance of each person's role in cultivating the community they want to work in,”医生说。. 相关的. “Sometimes it takes a while to convince students that STEM学者计划 is not something provided 为 而是创造出来的 by them, by all of us together.  Alex is a natural at creating community, 和 was from the beginning – it’s something she does everywhere she goes, 她自愿地.”

A prime example of this can be seen in the ways in which Alex has taken advantage of the opportunities presented to her to give back to her field, 无论是校内还是校外. On campus, as a member of the GEMS Program (Generating Excellence in Math 和 Science), Alex has been the GEMS STEM Day Director 为 the last three years. This annual campus event brings 20 girls from underserved high schools in Atlanta to the campus 为 interactive STEM labs, with the purpose of opening their minds to potential careers in STEM. Alex h和les the logistics of the event 和 acts as the liaison 为 the college with representatives of the high schools. Alex hopes that exposure to STEM at such a young age will help to increase representation of women in STEM fields.

Off-campus, Alex is the founder of the Triple AAA Program – the Agnes 和 Arbor Alliance. 作为一年级学生, Alex began volunteering at the Arbor Terrace Assisted Living Center, a seven minute drive from campus, where she would work with elderly patients suffering from dementia, offering activities such as Yoga 和 brain games. She quickly noticed a shortage of volunteers at the center, which meant less physical 和 mental activities 为 the patients. Alex recruited additional STEM Scotties to join her in volunteering at the center every other weekend, officially 为ming the Triple AAA Program. Together, the team of six do exercises with the patients or pay them individual visits.

“Dementia is an irreversible disease, but it can be slowed with consistent physical 和 mental exercises,亚历克斯说。. “I wanted to help the center solve the problem of their shortage. It is a small thing, but probably the accomplishment I am most proud of.”

All of Alex’s experiences at Agnes Scott have led her to realize “who she is 和 what she wants 为 her future,” which is a career in research. Her final year at Agnes Scott has been spent preparing materials to apply to a competitive post-baccalaureate program with the National Institute of Health (NIH), where she hopes to work as a researcher 为 two years be为e matriculating into a dual-degree MD/PHD program. She’s leaning heavily on her 峰会 400 Digital Portfolio to give her application materials a unique visual appeal that in turn will give her a leg up on the competition, 和 words from her portfolio, written during her second year, sum up her journey through STEM at Agnes perfectly, still relevant in this moment…

“Agnes has taught me that the journey it takes to reach your goals can be more important than the goals themselves. Learning is a divine 和 powerful process... Learning at Agnes Scott goes beyond the mental processes; simultaneously, it provides the most difficult challenge 和 the greatest fulfillment.”

关于 the writer: Kati Burns Mallows is the Director of Enrollment Marketing at Agnes Scott. When she’s not trying to per为m superhuman marketing feats 为 the Office of 入学 while simultaneously drinking copious amounts of coffee, she enjoys writing creative fiction 和 poetry, 和 has been a writer 为 more than 20 years. She especially loves telling the authentic stories of Agnes Scott’s Scottie community.