Biochemistry junior Alex Chubick spent his second summer of college nearly 500 miles away from home, choosing to research on campus instead of spending his break in his home state of Nebraska. Although it means sacrificing time with friends and family back home, researching on campus is an opportunity that he could not pass up.
Chubick’s research on circadian rhythms, under the mentorship of Karla Marz, is funded through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, an organization that promotes science education and biomedical research. Through grants funded by the Gustavus Provost Office and HHMI, students such as Alex have the rare opportunity to research after their first and second years on campus. Student access to research influenced Chubick’s decision to attend Gustavus: “The great thing about Gustavus is that other facilities don’t tend to hire first years, but Gustavus understands that first years need research experience to decide if they want to go to graduate school or pursue a research field of study. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant is one of the only programs that guarantees first years spots in research. It was Gustavus’ willingness to give first years that necessary experience through the HHMI grants that really popped out to me.” Next year, Alex hopes that his research experience will make him a strong candidate for researching at an Ivy League University, and in the future, a strong applicant for graduate programs in genetic engineering.