Undergraduate students and their mentors in the Department of Pathology are from left: Tom Botsford, Grand Forks; Kathryn Carlson, Brookings, SD; Assistant Professor Seema Somji; Assistant Professor Scott Garrett; Caitlin Johnson, Grand Island, NE; Ryan Zahn, Bottineau, ND; and Robin Johnson, Bismarck.

Opportunities for undergraduates to gain research experience at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences have never been better. This past summer, the addition of three new programs for undergraduates enabled more than 40 students to work in the lab with researchers. Studies included those focused on more effective drugs to treat epilepsy, potential breakthroughs in preventing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, the health effects of heavy metals in the environment, and the use of biomarkers to diagnose different types of cancer.

The undergraduate research programs not only provide a valuable source of paid labor for researchers, but they also give students insights that help them plan their careers.

“Part of the reason I wanted to go into medicine is because I like the science behind it,” said Jenna Wald, from Dickinson, ND, a senior biology major who spent her summer working in a Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics lab.

“There are physicians who do research in addition to practicing medicine,” she explained. “I'm looking at incorporating research into my career as an option for my future.”

While some students decide that life in the lab isn’t for them, others decide that it’s exactly what they want.