Undergraduates Applaud Faculty in the School of Biology

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School of Biology faculty members Dr. Linda Green, Senior Academic Professional, and Dr. Julia Kubanek, Professor and Associate Dean.

The faculty in the School of Biology at Georgia Tech are not just committed to their research, they are also heavily invested in the success of our students. Whether teaching in a classroom setting or in a lab setting our faculty are committed to giving our students the experience they need to succeed in the careers of their choice. Over the past year we have received various testimonies from students and recent graduates about the impact that our faculty have had on their career aspirations. Elizabeth Dinh is a School of Biology alumna who just finished her first year in PA school. She stated the following about Dr. Linda Green:

"I just wanted to let you know how much more I appreciate my Georgia Tech biology education now after this past year of PA school. It was honestly a shock for me to see how much more my classmates struggled with schoolwork than I did this past year…PA school has been way easier than GT was! I'm really so grateful, and I wanted to thank you for making up a part of that tough and well-worth-it education. I start rotations in August, and I feel prepared for it, more so because of how Georgia Tech has taught me to think and learn on my feet than because of my past didactic year."

Biology being a collaborative field, our faculty are not just impacting the lives and careers of Biology students, but also students in related fields. Kathryn Martin is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering. She wrote the following about her experience working in Dr. Julia Kubanek’s lab:

"Working in an ecology lab seemed like a good way to get my foot in the door for research. However, I was extremely uneasy about what use it would have for my personal interests. I wanted to eventually switch my undergraduate research experience to involve cancer research with a focus on gynecological cancers. From the beginning of working for Dr. Kubanek, I have been continuously encouraged by Dr. Kubanek as well as her graduate students to learn as much as possible from this research experience and to keep in mind that this science can be applied to many aspects of research.

Being reminded of this, I took the step forward in using what I've learned from Dr. Kubanek with NMR metabolomics to start my own biomedical science based research project that looks at the metabolomics in ovarian cancer biomarker discovery. I was extremely nervous in bringing up the idea, but Dr. Kubanek was excited from the start and encouraged me to begin the process of drafting a research proposal. She has taken the time to meet with me multiple times this summer to work on my research proposal and even contact another lab that has allowed me access to the samples I need. As an undergraduate researcher it's extremely hard to convince a PI from another lab that their samples will be put to valuable use, but Dr. Kubanek stood behind me through this process and pushed to allow a collaboration of samples all while she was in Sweden! These efforts from Dr. Kubanek have given me the encouragement and confidence in myself as a scientist that I need in order to succeed with this project.

I am incredibly thankful to have Dr. Kubanek as my mentor, as she puts so much effort in encouraging her students to pursue their interests while teaching us to understand the interdisciplinary nature of science."

These are just a few of the student success stories that continue to make the School of Biology at Georgia Tech an excellent choice for those interested in entering the field of Biology. We continue to strive to improve our program for the benefit of the students and to exceed their expectations.

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