Top universities admit WU NIH-INBRE research grads
Cassie Rodenberg
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: Health and Science
Eight Winthrop biology and chemistry seniors have been accepted into top Ph.D. programs, including Harvard, Duke and Notre Dame.
What do these students have in common?
They all have conducted biomedical research, funded by a competitive grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) supports biomedical research at the university level and awards funding to student and faculty research. In South Carolina, Winthrop, Clemson, Furman and Claflin universities received funding.
Bethany Bush, senior biology and chemistry double-major, said she came to Winthrop for its human-nutrition program, but felt drawn towards research after taking general chemistry courses.
"I wanted to know why and how things worked," Bush said.
As a freshman, she searched for research opportunities in the chemistry department and secured a place in the biochemical lab of Takita Sumter, assistant professor of chemistry, physics and geology. Bush spent her sophomore and junior years immersed in the lab conducting NIH-INBRE research, in love with molecular exploration.
"Research provided another means of creative expression," she said.
Bush eventually declared her interests in both biology and chemistry by double-majoring.
Last summer, Bush applied to several internship programs outside of Winthrop and accepted a position at Harvard University as a summer research student. At Harvard, Bush studied autophagy and its implications for cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.
After returning to Winthrop to complete her final year, she began applying to Ph.D. programs, interested specifically in cancer research.
Bush looked into graduate programs at Yale, Duke, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt and Purdue, but eventually chose Harvard's Ph.D. program because of her interst in chemical biology. She starts in the fall and will rotate between three cancer laboratories.
Bush said she eventually wants to teach at the university level and continue conducting research, an interest sparked by the Winthrop NIH-INBRE program.
What do these students have in common?
They all have conducted biomedical research, funded by a competitive grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH).
The IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) supports biomedical research at the university level and awards funding to student and faculty research. In South Carolina, Winthrop, Clemson, Furman and Claflin universities received funding.
Bethany Bush, senior biology and chemistry double-major, said she came to Winthrop for its human-nutrition program, but felt drawn towards research after taking general chemistry courses.
"I wanted to know why and how things worked," Bush said.
As a freshman, she searched for research opportunities in the chemistry department and secured a place in the biochemical lab of Takita Sumter, assistant professor of chemistry, physics and geology. Bush spent her sophomore and junior years immersed in the lab conducting NIH-INBRE research, in love with molecular exploration.
"Research provided another means of creative expression," she said.
Bush eventually declared her interests in both biology and chemistry by double-majoring.
Last summer, Bush applied to several internship programs outside of Winthrop and accepted a position at Harvard University as a summer research student. At Harvard, Bush studied autophagy and its implications for cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.
After returning to Winthrop to complete her final year, she began applying to Ph.D. programs, interested specifically in cancer research.
Bush looked into graduate programs at Yale, Duke, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt and Purdue, but eventually chose Harvard's Ph.D. program because of her interst in chemical biology. She starts in the fall and will rotate between three cancer laboratories.
Bush said she eventually wants to teach at the university level and continue conducting research, an interest sparked by the Winthrop NIH-INBRE program.
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