INBRE scholars on campus – meet Alex Vogel









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Alex Vogel

Twenty-six students from 10 different undergraduate and community college programs have joined the Institutional Development Award Program (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)/ Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) program.

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 Alexander Vogel, a junior at Nebraska Wesleyan University majoring in biology.

What should we know about you?

I’m a relaxed guy who likes to have fun. I enjoy sports, music and science.

What or who influenced your interest in science?

The summers of my junior and senior years of high school I had an internship at a corporation nearby to where I lived at the time. I was a lab technician and I really enjoyed doing that but the best part was the people, they were very informative, helpful and encouraging. Despite the ups and downs of science, I realized how much fun I was having and I knew that research was what I wanted to get into.

What is it about science that excites you?

The opportunity to contribute something to society as well as the prospect of finding something out about our world that no one has ever explored.

Will you pursue a career in science? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?

Yes, I will pursue a career in science. My goals in the near future are to complete graduate school and someday have my own lab.

Why is it important to have programs like INBRE?

To tap into the scientific resources and talent that the Midwest has to offer.