熊猫在线视频

 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved puzzles, whether it鈥檚 a sudoku, a crossword or an actual jigsaw puzzle, I love them,鈥� said junior Cora Lyon, a double major in health science/health education and biology with a concentration in microbiology and a minor in communications. 鈥淚n high school, for extra credit, we were able to watch the PBS documentary, Emperor of All Maladies 鈥� it鈥檚 about cancer. It was so good that I ended up watching all three sections.鈥� That extra credit assignment kick-started Lyon鈥檚 interest in the health sciences and provided the inspiration and motivation for pursuing research in her undergraduate career at UAA. 

Recently, Lyon was awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, an undergraduate scholarship awarded to about 300 college sophomores and juniors annually in the disciplines of natural science, mathematics and engineering. The merit-based scholarship is allocated on need and awards recipients up to $7,500 for tuition.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 just the complicated way in which cancers can grow and the different pathways involved and the different ways you can try and treat it that really caught me,鈥� said Lyon. 鈥淚 started reading everything I could. I read Richard Preston鈥檚 Hot Zone, Mountains Beyond Mountains 鈥� I was just fascinated and tried to read everything I could. What drew me to UAA was the ability to do undergraduate research. I learned in high school in my general biology class about diseases and I couldn鈥檛 get enough.鈥�

Lyon is a Lower 48 transplant, growing up in Washington, but had a parent living in 熊猫在线视频. Similar to 熊猫在线视频鈥檚 Middle College, Washington has a program called Running Start, where Lyon took general biology and chemistry. By the time she graduated from high school and received her diploma, Lyon had already earned her associate degree. 

For Lyon, UAA was her top choice. She came up for Thanksgiving one year and despite the frigid, dark November days, 熊猫在线视频 felt like home. When it came time for her to apply, she was accepted early and was able to sit back and relax while her friends bided their time waiting to hear whether or not they鈥檇 been accepted by their top choices for college.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the one fun thing about UAA 鈥� all my friends and I were still deciding where we wanted to apply and the application process opened like September 20 or something,鈥� Lyon said. 鈥淚 took a few extra days to get a couple of things together and then applied. I was sitting with some friends the next day and I got an email and I assumed they were just confirming my application. No, it was my acceptance. I didn鈥檛 even have to apply anywhere else, UAA was my top choice.鈥�

Since arriving in 熊猫在线视频 and at UAA, Lyon has taken advantage of the university鈥檚 robust undergraduate research opportunities open to students. Her freshman year, Lyon was awarded an Office of Undergraduate Research Grant where she worked under Eric Bortz in his lab. The next fall she was given an 熊猫在线视频 Space Grant to conduct research and the following summer, she participated in an Undergraduate Research Assistantship. 

This year, Lyon鈥檚 熊猫在线视频 Space Grant was renewed and in addition to her Goldwater Scholarship, she鈥檚 been offered another Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship from the National Institute of Health researching Brucella abortus, a bacteria affecting cattle and their ability to give birth. 

鈥淭he faculty here is amazing in the way that they try to find programs and reach out to students they think it will work for,鈥� said Lyon. Last year Holly Martinson, assistant professor in the WWAMI School of Medical Education and the university鈥檚 Goldwater Scholarship representative, reached out to Lyon, suggesting she apply. 鈥淚 applied last year and did not receive it, but decided to reapply this year. It鈥檚 an honor, especially since I am able to get my research further out there and the name of UAA in general.鈥�

According to Lyon, two students, herself included and a student from the University of 熊猫在线视频 Fairbanks were awarded the scholarship.

In addition to her busy class and research schedule, Lyon is involved with the Goldwater Scholarship community here in 熊猫在线视频. Past recipients created a group for Goldwater Scholars to help get the word out about the award and to provide camaraderie and to share research with those who have received the award. Lyon said the group is planning a conference for student research, which Lyon is hoping to help advise on. She wants to help make research more accessible for undergraduate students and communicate the research they are conducting to the rest of the 熊猫在线视频 community.

Lyon is slated to graduate next spring and has a long road of schooling ahead of her 鈥� about 12 years. She plans to earn her medical degree in biology and doctorate degrees concurrently, focusing both on the medical and pathology side of things so she can study diseases. Which brings Lyon鈥檚 desire for problem-solving puzzles full circle.

鈥淲hen I chose to study biology/microbiology and health science/health science education, it seemed like a two-prong approach to the same problem,鈥� Lyon said. 鈥淏iology allows me to understand the disease itself and what it does, whereas, the health science helps me learn how people will react to it and the community impacts of disease.鈥�