Biochemistry | North Central College

Muganda honored with Goldwater recognition

Long hours conducting independent research, working as a lab assistant and serving as a preceptor for various classes have paid off for Grace Muganda ’12, who earned an honorable mention in the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater National Scholarship program.

National Geographic expert to give talk on medical uses for snake venom

Professor and National Geographic expert Zoltan Takacs will give a free talk May 9 about how venom from dangerous snakes can be used for medicinal purposes.

April 13, 2011—Professor and National Geographic expert Zoltan Takacs will give a free talk May 9 at North Central College about how venom from dangerous snakes can be used for medicinal purposes.

Takacs, a professor at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine who studies venoms and reptiles, will deliver the presentation, “Biodiversity is Good for Your Health: Exploring the World’s Most Toxic Yet Lifesaving Creatures.”

Record number of students to present at national research conference

A record 38 students from various academic areas will represent North Central at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research this spring.

Contact: Nancy Dunker, associate director of public relations, 630-637-5306

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Jan. 31, 2011)—For the second year, a record number of North Central College students have been chosen to participate in the nation’s leading conference on undergraduate research.

D-Term courses take students around the globe

In December, students take advantage of life-changing study abroad opportunities.

Jan. 24, 2011—North Central College’s trimester format offers students a break from regular classes between Thanksgiving and the new year. During December—or D-Term—students can take advantage of North Central’s study abroad opportunities.

North Central College offers five-year bachelor’s/master’s degree in leadership

North Central College is offering a new option to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master of leadership studies degree in just five years.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 16, 2010)—North Central College is offering a new option to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master of leadership studies degree in just five years.

Students accepted into this program earn both a bachelor’s degree—in any discipline—and the master of leadership studies with the completion of 141 credit hours.

North Central College alumnus shares tales of neuroscience research with students

A North Central alumnus being recognized for his accomplishments as a student-athlete took time to talk to biology students about his neuroscience research.

Contact: Ted Slowik, Director of PR and Media Relations, 630-637-5307, tjslowik@noctrl.edu

Nov. 1, 2010—A North Central College alumnus being recognized for his accomplishments as a student-athlete took time during Homecoming 2010 to talk to biology students about his neuroscience research.

North Central was well represented at this year’s National Conference for Undergraduate Research.

The most ever student-researchers from North Central College—32—were accepted to attend the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in April. "This is impressive because we’ve never had this many students apply and it really reflects a changing culture here, a true culture of inquiry,” says Perry Hamalis, director of the Office of Academic Opportunities and assistant professor of religious studies.

Grace Muganda

“I love working in the lab and being around people who eat, breathe and sleep science,” says Grace Muganda. “It’s a great big family inside the Science Center—a real community. It’s marvelous to talk about your work with the faculty and other students. You can talk to the professors about anything, anytime. I can go to them with questions about life, worries about graduate school—anything. They really care about us.

“You can get a great education here. I completed an internship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last summer, and I was the only intern in the group who had written a lab report fit for publication. I’m confident I can go anywhere and do anything I want to do.”

In fact, she’s well on her way toward achieving her current goals of graduate study and, ultimately, a career in medical education. “I want to become dean of a medical school,” she says. Grace recently landed an internship at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. “I’ll be assigned a mentor—either a Ph.D. or M.D. student—and we’ll do research together,” she says. Grace is also the College's latest Goldwater honoree. She earned an honorable mention in the Barry M. Goldwater National Scholarship Program.

Majors Minors and Programs : Biochemistry

Students present their summer research to the campus

For the past six weeks, 37 students and 15 faculty have participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Colloquium (SURC) conducting research that spans many majors and topics. Students presented their research to the campus community July 21 in a poster format in Kroehler Science Center. Nancy Peterson, professor of chemistry, noted research can be lonely and slow-going at times, so students and faculty involved in SURC meet weekly to collaborate and discuss their work.