INBRE Scholars: Cody Masters

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, Cody Masters talks about his INBRE experience.

Tell me about yourself. Who are your heroes?
I am a pretty extroverted person. I enjoy being around other people and discussing various topics. My parents and teachers are my heroes. They invest in me every day and encourage me to work hard in order to better myself and attain my goals.

What are your career goals?

I am still deciding what specific field I will enter after graduation. At the moment, I plan to pursue either a Ph.D. or M.D. and work somewhere in either the field of medicine or academic research.

How did you become interested in science?
I became interested in science during high school. I had a couple of excellent chemistry teachers, Mrs. Icenogle and Mrs. Larson, who both used their science classrooms as portals in order to inspire their students to exciting science used in the real world. Their classes sparked my interest in the molecular world. Even today, I am continuously awestruck as I learn more in my undergraduate chemistry classes about the molecular world and how humans can manipulate these molecules to create miracle drugs and helpful products in order to improve our everyday life.

What do you hope the INBRE program will do for you?
I hope that the INBRE program will expose me to an array of careers in the field of science and will help me decide which one is a fit for me. Furthermore, I also hope that the INBRE program will provide me with valuable networking opportunities and friends.

How do you see science evolving over the next 20 years?
I believe there will be an increased number of published papers and patents pertaining to the development of new biomedical tools and drugs. I believe we will be closing the gap on several notorious diseases such as cancer through the fields of bioinformatics and personalized medicine, so that will all be really exciting.

About the INBRE program

The INBRE program is overseen by James Turpen, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and a professor in UNMC's Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy, and principal investigator of the $16.2 million National Institutes of Health grant that supports the program.

Established in 2001, the INBRE program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research, build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions, strengthen the infrastructure of undergraduate institutions, and increase their capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.

This year's 27 INBRE Scholars represent:

nine colleges and universities;

four states, including Iowa, Minnesota, California and Colorado;

three foreign countries, including India, Japan and Vietnam;

16 women; and

11 men.

The students, referred to as INBRE Scholars, enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation by their college professors. The students are given a two-year scholarship and spend 10 weeks each summer conducting research on either their home campus or at UNMC, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Creighton University.

At the end of the summer the students attend the INBRE annual meeting where they give an oral presentation.

INBRE Scholars: Cody Masters

About the INBRE program

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