The Nebraska Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program has welcomed 27 undergraduate students from across Nebraska as they embark on their summer research experience at Creighton University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and UNMC.
Below, Aatiya Ahmad talks about her INBRE experience.
Who is Aatiya Ahmad?
I am a junior at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). I am part of the honors program at UNK as well as the Health Science Club. I hope to graduate from UNK and then go on to graduate school to get my Ph.D.
Has science always been a part of your life?
Science has always been a part of my life. I grew up playing with test tubes, and I used to perform mock experiments during which I mixed water and mud together to see what “chemical reaction” would occur. This fascination with science has continued as I have grown older, and my curiosity has only increased.
How is it important to you?
Science is an integral part of my life. There are so many different fields to choose from, and there are almost no limits to the types of research that are available. Despite the advances that we have made in science, there is still so much that remains to be discovered. I want to be part of this advancement and contribute to discoveries that make an impact on people’s lives.
Why did you choose to participate in the INBRE program?
I chose to participate in the INBRE program because I believed that it was an amazing opportunity for me to foster my interest in research and be part of a problem-solving community.
What do you hope to gain from the program?
I hope to gain research experience that will help me later on when I go to graduate school and get a Ph.D. Besides just that, I think that the research I will be doing has a very important impact on the community. I will be working with pathogenic bacteria, which are amazingly complex creatures, and it is fascinating to be able to conduct experiments to figure out exactly why they cause the diseases they do.