From Potatoes to Pharmaceuticals: Idaho INBRE Alumni ’s Diverse Careers

Jenny Durrin. Credit: University of Idaho. Jenny Durrin says she would never have become the director of the Seed Potato Germplasm Program at the University of Idaho, Moscow, without the experience she gained through the Idaho IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program. Another Idaho INBRE alum, Steve Van Horn, credits the program with enabling him to start a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Providing undergraduate students with research opportunities and preparing them for STEM careers in biomedical sciences are key goals of INBREs across the country, including Idaho’s program. Here, we share Jenny’s and Steve’s stories and the pivotal role that INBRE played for them. From Pre-Med to Plant Researcher Jenny started college at the University of Idaho as a pre-med major and applied for an INBRE fellowship to gain lab experience. Because she was interested in plants and naturopathic medicine, she was offered a spot in a lab studying viruses that infect crops such as sugar beets and potatoes. She enjoyed the research so much that she decided to pursue a career in science instead of medicine. Jenny Durrin and her colleague inspecting potatoes. Credit: Courtesy of Jenny Durrin. Jenny completed her master’s research in the same lab and continued working there for a short time after she graduated. She then spent 2 years in another University of Idaho lab developing a product to eliminate a potato pest before becoming the direc...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Being a Scientist Profiles Training Source Type: blogs