MyLinda Lovell, 31
Biology, medical lab science option
Hardin, MT
Science Club President
April 15, 2016
By Blair Koch, University Communications and Marketing
If you love subjects like biology and chemistry, then losing hours in a place affectionately known to 麻豆官网首页入口免费 science students as the 鈥淔ungal Colony鈥� makes quite a bit of sense.
Biology major and Science Club president MyLinda Lovell, 31, absolutely loves the place and the projects she鈥檚 worked on sound quite impressive.
鈥淚鈥檝e gotten to work with mouse tissue, isolating protein from the brain,鈥� Lovell explains, all in an attempt to study a rare, but debilitating disease called familial dysautonomia, typically associated with patients鈥� inability to feel pain.
Lovell made a leap of faith that she says, 鈥渨as the best decision of her life,鈥� when she quit her job to come to school full time.
鈥淭here are just so many doors opening up for me that I wouldn鈥檛 have had otherwise,鈥� she said. 鈥淓specially in science. Growing up, it just wasn鈥檛 something that was talked about.鈥�
She鈥檚 happy to see that paradigm changing.
As part of her role as Science Club president she鈥檒l be on hand for Girls-n-Science this weekend with new hands-on activities for the event.
鈥淭his year, the Biology and Chemistry Clubs merged, so we鈥檒l be there as one club,鈥�
Lovell said. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e still driven to bring an interactive and educational activity.
This year, we鈥檙e focusing on tearing down the barrier that science is hard and that
women can鈥檛 do it.鈥�
To do that, the club鈥檚 members, both male and female, are dressing up as oft-forgotten women scientists of note.
鈥淩osalind Franklin was instrumental in discovering the molecular structure of DNA, but she was unable to get the Nobel Prize for it because she was dead,鈥� Lovell said.
Two male scientists are largely credited for the discovery鈥擣rancis Crick and James Watso鈥攚ho shared the prize in 1962.
Other female scientists to be represented by the club include 鈥淪ilent Spring,鈥� author Rachel Carson as well as many others.
鈥淲e鈥檒l even have cut-out boards where they can put their face into it and get a picture of them being that scientist,鈥� Lovell said.