Fascinated By Neuroscience
By Nicole Shirkey '05
I started out as a premed student at Concordia-Moorhead, but soon discovered my true love was research. During my introductory biology class I examined real brains and found it absolutely fascinating. I started taking neuroscience courses, including an independent study course on brain plasticity. By the beginning of my junior year, it was clear I would someday be a neuroscientist. Today, I'm a graduate student at the University of California at Irvine. Here I will earn my doctorate in preparation of starting my own research lab and teaching at the university level.
Several research projects not only strengthened my education at Concordia - they were quite exciting! I researched one summer with one of my biology professors and another semester with professors in psychology and chemistry. I worked on several projects in the psychology lab for one semester, learning how to integrate different disciplines. One of our research teams even presented our findings at a national scientific meeting.
My classes and research at Concordia really allowed me to cultivate my critical and abstract thinking skills. At Concordia I not only found a career, but a passion - all in addition to gaining the skills and knowledge I need to excel. For this I feel very blessed and extremely thankful.
