New Club Brings Together Students and Scientists

A new organization called the Biomedical Sciences Club emerged from the College of Agricultural Sciences this year, and it has already begun to blaze innovative paths for three Penn State colleges.

James Howell, program coordinator for the Immunology and Infectious Disease and Toxicology majors, says the club's goal is not only for faculty to know the students' interests and give them career and internship contacts, but also for the students to network with their peers. He says one-third of the students are from the College of Agricultural Sciences, one-third from the College of Science and one-third from the College of Engineering. "This is a nice mix, which is great for the students to interact," Howell says.

In the spring 2007 semester, the club began sponsoring meetings, speeches and scientific journal sessions. The group hosted visiting science experts, such as Adam Ruskin, a biotech consultant and Penn State Animal Bioscience alumnus, and Manuel Llinas, a Princeton assistant professor of molecular biology. Panel discussions were held with topics such as graduate school and couples in science. The club also participated at Penn State Biodays in April and showed children how to extract DNA from strawberries.

"We want our members to be ready for the biomedical field by the time they graduate, so we try to model our meetings and activities around that idea," says President Matt Gardner, an Immunology and Infectious Disease major from Robesonia, Pa.

Both Howell and Gardner agree the club's first semester was successful, with about 150 or more students interested.

"The club's popularity reflects that the students are active and vibrant, and that they were waiting for a club like this," Howell says.