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Roxanna Fees |
Established in 2001, the BRIN program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research, build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions and to strengthen each undergraduate institution’s infrastructure and increase its capacity to conduct cutting-edge biomedical and behavioral research.
Today, we meet Roxanna Fees, one of the new BRIN scholars on campus.
Who is Roxanna Fees?
I grew up on a farm outside of Miller, which is near Kearney. I am currently a student at University of Nebraska at Kearney and will be starting my fourth year in the fall. When I have free time, which is rather rare it seems, I love to play volleyball or golf with my friends.
What or who influenced your interest in science?
I gained an interest in science from my high school science classes but it was not until my first chemistry class in college, “Introduction to Organic Chemistry,” that my current love for science began. I just found the theories of chemistry and the thought processes of science mesmerizing and I knew I needed to know more.
What is it about science that excites you?
Mostly what excites me about science is the idea that it is never finished — we will never know all that there is to know about the world and/or the universe. All we as scientists can do is work to figure out some things, ponder the answers to other things and marvel at the amazing wonder of other things.
Will you pursue a career in science? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I will undoubtedly pursue a career in science. My current path is to become a high school chemistry and biology teacher but my curiosity of how research works and what it is like led my to apply to the BRIN/INBRE program. What I hope to accomplish is to pass on knowledge of science to my students, but more importantly, the way of thinking that defines science.
Why is it important to have programs like BRIN?
Programs like BRIN are great because they get undergraduate students in the lab, not just conducting experiments out of a manual with concrete instructions, but thinking and doing new science. It also helps students to make connections with various professors and fellow students across Nebraska.