Jennifer Whiting
Junior
Major: Biology
Minor: General Psychology
Jen Whiting became interested in undergraduate research while taking a Genetics and Evolution course. She had always toyed with the idea of having a career in genetics, but had little previous experience in that area. The topic of genetic disorders and their causes grabbed her attention, so she contacted her professor, Fern Finger, for a position in her laboratory. And she got one.
In the lab, Whiting is visualizing neurons to determine if the polybasic region is important for normal development of the nervous system. She says that research is not what she expected it to be, but that it has far exceeded her expectations.
“It’s very different from a classroom laboratory, where every step is written in the instructions handed to you. You have much more freedom to exercise your mind for problem solving.”
Whiting found it rewarding to put the knowledge she gained through classes to practical use, and said, “I can’t tell you how often I say to myself, ‘Wow, I learned all about how this technique works, and now I’m actually doing it!’”
She’s also learned to problem solve in a realistic laboratory setting, where experiments don’'t always go as easily as they should.
Whiting says other advantages to performing research as an undergraduate include adding skills to her resume and networking into the research community at RPI.
“It’s great to have Dr. Finger to go to for advice on graduate schools and career paths, and I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to work in her laboratory as an undergraduate,” she said. “I think high school kids should definitely know about the awesome research opportunities available to them at RPI, in all majors!”
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