Undergraduate Students “Spring into Maryland Science” at the SOP

Day-long event introduces science majors to the variety of research career opportunities

By Becky Ceraul
April 22, 2012

Seven female biology and chemistry majors from Notre Dame University of Maryland’s Womens College in Baltimore visited the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy on March 30 for a first-hand look at the life of a pharmaceutical sciences graduate student and for an introduction into the wide range of research opportunities that exist in the field.

The day-long visit, part of the School’s “Spring Into Maryland Science” (SIMSI) program, was organized by Sarah Michel, PhD, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences (PSC) at the School of Pharmacy, and Angela Sherman, PhD, an associate professor of chemistry at Notre Dame. It is part of the educational component of Michel’s National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a five year, $570,000 grant she received in 2007 for her research on iron substitution and oxidative damage in zinc finger proteins.

“SIMSI began as part of an effort to introduce undergraduates to PhD level research sponsored by my NSF CAREER award. I envisioned providing students the opportunity to ‘taste’ graduate research by spending a day in PSC labs participating in research,” said Michel.

The goals of the SIMSI program, in addition to introducing students to career opportunities, are to provide skills to strengthen their academic performance, provide mentors and role models for the undergraduates in current PSC graduate students, provide innovative teaching opportunities for PSC graduate students, and stimulate teaching and research collaborations between Notre Dame and School of Pharmacy faculty.

“Each year, a cadre of SIMSI participants have gone on to pursue summer research at the School of Pharmacy in PSC labs and elsewhere, and several students have matriculated in PhD programs,” says Michel says. “Given the success of the program, I plan to continue to support SIMSI in future research grants.