Students

Student Highlights - Celebrating Student Success

Below are three current undergraduates and one recent graduate of Indiana University Biotechnology who have gained research experience and academic honors while keeping up extracurricular activities.

These three are exceptional – but they are not alone. Students from around the world come to IU to study life science and prepare themselves for future careers in both industry and academics.

See what IU’s Undergraduate Biotechnology Training Program has to offer.

Brice Floyd, Graduated 2010, B.S. Biotechnology

Originally From: Indiana

Honors: LAMP (Liberal Arts and Management Program) at Indiana University and Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Albert Ruesink in L112. Also Phi Beta Kappa, IU Life Sciences Scholar, and Viola Scholarship in nuclear chemistry.

Research Experience: Dr. Romualdo deSouza – designed, built, and tested 3 novel detectors and various vacuum and electronic components for use in a fusion experiment between neutron rich oxygen and carbon isotopes

Extracurricular Activities: Brice was the residential learning community chairperson for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

Industry Experience: Pioneer Hi-bred  – worked at a summer internship and did product development research for maize

Current Position: “I am now a graduate student pursuing a PhD in plant biology at Iowa State University. I grew up on a farm in north-central Indiana and love science. This being the case, I decided to work on crop improvement research.
My research is centered around the study of autophagy and stress responses in plants, with arabidopsis and maize as my primary organisms of study.”

Future Plans: “I plan to either pursue postdoctoral work, an industry position, or possibly law school.
My career in science has been a good one and I expect a good future in the field. The biotech program at Indiana certainly started me down the right track.”

Eric Mauser, Graduated May 2011, B.S. Biotechnology

Originally From: Indianapolis, Indiana University

Honors: Hoosier Presidential Scholar, Hudson Holland Scholar, and Achieve Indiana Resident Scholar

Research Experience: Innes Lab – studied gene expression of plants
Tolbert Lab – studied the expression and purification of a therapeutic protein using a genetically modified yeast expression system
Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics– Research Assistant, working to develop a novel procedure for plant transcriptome sequencing using the Illumina high throughput genome sequencer

Extracurricular Activities: Eric has been a peer mentor for the Office of Mentoring and Leadership Development.  He hosts a weekly radio show for WIUX, IU’s student radio station. 

Future Plans: “After graduation, I initially plan on putting the skills I have learned from the biotechnology program and from my research experience into use in the life science industry.  After that, I’d like to return to graduate school to further my studies.”

Alicia Ying Yi Tan, Senior, B.S. Biotechnology

Originally From: Malaysia

Honors: Founders Scholars 2010, Indiana University Bloomington, Dean's List 2010

Research Experience: Foster Lab – Research Associate, working on mutation accumulation experiment

Xiu Wei Lim, Senior, B.S. Biotechnology

Originally From: Malaysia

Honors: Founders Scholars 2009, Indiana University Bloomington

Research Experience: Dr. Nancy Magill – researching bacteria resistance towards antibiotic and antiseptic

Future Plans: “After graduation, I plan to continue with my Master’s in biotechnology.”