The National Science Foundation featured Ph.D. student and NSF research fellow Lekeah Durden on its website in February in celebration of Black History Month and contributions made by African American researchers.
What makes me proudest in my scientific career is participating in initiatives that support women and underrepresented minorities to pursue interests in science.
Lekeah Durden
And, participate she does. For two years, Durden has instructed high school students through Foundations in Science and Math, a summer program organized by IU graduate students. She has volunteered at IU Science Fest and the state science olympiad. She also assists with science outreach at local elementary schools.
Durden encourages students to find ways to explore even the slightest interest in science. “You never know what you’ll find if you don’t take the time to search,” she advises.
Sophomore Hannah Busey has been named a 2016-17 Goldwater Scholar, a highly competitive national award recognizing outstanding college sophomores and juniors who have shown great promise in math, science, or engineering.
Busey is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Using horned beetles as a study system, she researches the evolution of head development in insects in Professor Armin Moczek’s lab. Busey plans to earn a doctorate in biology and to conduct research in the field of evolutionary biology.
Graduate student Nikki Rendon (Demas lab)—lead author of an article in Proceedings of the Royal Academy B—discusses a hormonal mechanism in hamsters that connects short winter days with increased aggression in females.
Many of our graduate students as well as undergraduates are lead authors on papers about their research. The list below includes a few of the student-led articles published from 2014 to 2016. All first authors are graduate students unless otherwise noted as undergraduates.
The College of Arts