Northwestern graduates and student participate in off-campus summer research

Two May graduates of Northwestern College and a senior are involved in competitive off-campus research programs this summer.

Nnenna Nwaelugo, a 2019 graduate with majors in biology-health professions and chemistry, and Mitchell Van Kalsbeek, a senior biology-health professions major, are spending nine weeks conducting research in the laboratory of Dr. Brian Smith in the biochemistry department at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Their team’s research focuses on reversible acetylation and gaseous signaling and how these pathways underlie basic biochemical processes important in inflammation-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and Type I diabetes. 

Nwaelugo, a Nigerian who will begin medical studies at the Medical College of Wisconsin in the fall, is in her second year of research in Smith’s lab. Van Kalsbeek, from Sioux Falls, is part of the institution’s Summer Program for Undergraduate Research. Last summer, he conducted research during an internship at the Avera Institute of Human Genetics. 

Emily Starr, a 2019 psychology graduate from Firth, Neb., was selected from among more than 600 applicants to participate in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Starr is working for seven weeks with Dr. Brian Wymbs in clinical research related to the treatment of children with social, emotional and behavioral problems. Wymbs and colleagues have found that parents of such children are at greater risk of divorce, and their ongoing research studies seek to provide information to guide interventions for strengthening those relationships.

Northwestern’s biology department features expert professors dedicated to integrating their Christian faith with science. State-of-the-art classrooms and labs in the new $24.5 million DeWitt Family Science Center are designed for hands-on exploration. The result is graduates who score in the top 25% worldwide on the MCAT and stand out for their excellence in healthcare, research, teaching, conservation and other fields.

From research scientists and chemistry teachers to the many award-winning physicians and other healthcare providers, NWC chemistry alumni prove they know the formula for success. An impressive 80% of Northwestern science majors headed to medical school are accepted the first time they apply (compared to a 45% national medical school matriculation rate). Recently, physical chemistry students scored, on average, in the 85th percentile on the standardized thermodynamics exam.