INBRE Scholars – Nikolas Duszenko









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Nikolas Duszenko
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 Nikolas Duszenko.


  • Name: Nikolas Duszenko
  • Hometown: Aberdeen, S.D.
  • School:University of Nebraska-Lincoln

I came to UNL with a pre-med mindset. However, this changed once I began taking part in undergraduate research. I realized there are a lot of different careers one can pursue with a degree in science. I’m still considering medical school, but I could definitely see myself attending graduate school.

My interest in science began my junior year of high school, thanks to an AP biology course that I took. The teacher was great and the material engaged me in a way that no other class had.

I hope the INBRE program gives me more insight into other science careers. The research component is already familiar to me, but I hope the seminars and relationships I’ve started to build with other scholars prove invaluable in the future.