INBRE Scholars – Meet Megan Gunderson









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Megan Gunderson
Twenty-eight students from nine different undergraduate and community college programs have joined the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program this summer.

The program was created to:

  • Expose students to serious biomedical research;
  • Build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions; and
  • Strengthen each undergraduate institution’s infrastructure and increase its capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.

Below, we get to know more about INBRE scholar Megan Gunderson.


  • Name: Megan Gunderson
  • Hometown: Omaha
  • School: College of St. Mary, majoring in biology

I think my natural curiosity is what initially started my interest in science. I always want to know the reasoning behind things, and science is all about answering the questions of life. For a long time, I wanted to become a veterinarian, and it wasn’t until recently that I found research really appealing to me. I was really excited to get the opportunity to work in a research lab through INBRE, and experience first-hand what research is like as a career.

I like the connect-the-dots aspect of science. It’s all about using what you know to explain what is in front of you. This is what I find so cool about science and science-based careers. I know I will pursue a career in science and INBRE has only further assured me that this is the career field I want to be a part of.

I think INBRE and programs like it are so important because it allows undergraduate students the unique experience of working in a lab with graduate students, to connect with others, and to get a glance at what a career in research would entail.