Center for Biology and Society
Undergraduate Alumni
- Laura Calandrella
- Esther Ellsworth Bowers
- Brenda Flores
- Brian Lutz
- Brent Maddin
- Kim McIntosh
- Mia McNulty
- Patricia Pearce
- Charlie Preston
- Sarah St. John
- Alon Unger
- Nan Wu
Laura Calandrella. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2002.
The Biology and Society program offered me the opportunity to gain skills as both a physical and social scientist and gave me real-world experiences. Over four years I worked on several conservation projects including working with a division of Conservation International and a group of Guatemalan women to conserve the knowledge and plants on which Mayan medicine is based. While courses in Biology and Society taught the fundamentals of the biological sciences and their role in society, the faculty greatly complemented my in-class learning by encouraging participation in academic conferences, research experiences, internships, and writing grants to further my education. When I graduated from the program in 2002 I went to work for international conservation NGO, Rare, on UN-funded eco tourism development in Latin American and Indonesia. Now, as I finish my Masters degree at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), I am more than ever convinced that my undergraduate experiences set a very important stage for my professional and personal development.
Received: 2000 National Education Scholarship Program; 2000 Circumnavigator's Scholarship; 2000, 2001 Udall Foundation Scholarship; 2002 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Esther Ellsworth Bowers. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2002. Masters of Science, Biology, 2003.
Esther Ellsworth Bowers is working at the intersection of community development and public education. Following a Rural Policy Fellowship with USDA in Washington, D.C., Esther moved to Flagstaff, AZ to begin graduate work in science education and social studies education. While pursuing the M.Ed., Esther is teaching Introductory Biology at Coconino Community College and working for the housing section of Northern Arizona Council of Governments.
In May 2004, Esther completed an integrated B.S.-M.S. degree in Biology at Arizona State University. Esther's Master's curriculum focused on decision-making processes for environmental and medical policy. Earlier, her undergraduate studies in Biology & Society had culminated in a thesis on life science teaching and mentoring. Esther is committed to teaching and research that serve community needs.
Brenda Flores. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2005.
Brenda Flores graduated in Spring of 2005 with a B.S. in Biology and Society and a minor in Chicana and Chicano Studies and a Certificate in History and Philosophy of Science. The combination of these degrees has been the result of her many interests and has had a great influence on her research concentration. Brenda's current research focuses on if and how political changes in the United States have changed the initiatives of the National Institutes of Health towards minorities during a certain time period. Brenda is also interested in studying the interaction of science and policy and its implications on society through philosophical, ethical, and political perspectives. She is involved in organizations on campus that seek to increase minority students and faculty in the sciences. Brenda intends to continue her studies in the interactions of biology and society and has been admitted to the M.S. in Biology Graduate Program at Arizona State University for Fall 2005.
Brian Lutz.Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2003.
I found myself drawn more to science policy and environmental education. Yet, in pursuing these interests, I did not want to sacrifice a rigorous undergraduate science education. The Biology & Society program gave me what I was looking for: a solid foundation in biological sciences with the opportunity for independent, interdisciplinary exploration. With Dr. Maienschein's help, I completed a summer internship in Washington, DC, worked on environmental education projects in Central and South America, and studied community wildlife management in Kenya.
Since graduating from the Biology & Society program, I worked for one year on wetlands and water policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. The following year I completed a master's degree in Environmental Change & Management at the University of Oxford. Currently, I am pursuing a master's degree in epidemiology and statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Ultimately, I would like to work in health policy and public health.
Brent Maddin. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 1999.
As an undergraduate in the Biology and Society program Brent worked with Dr. Jane Maienschein to research issues of scientific literacy and national science standards. After graduating in 1999, Brent joined the Teach For America movement, moved to rural Louisiana, and put his knowledge of national science standards into action as an instructor of high school biology, chemistry, and physics. During his fourth year in Louisiana, Brent completed his National Board Teaching Certificate with an emphasis in biology-an incredible accomplishment for someone so early in his teaching career. In 2002 he moved to the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas to help charter a high school committed to closing the achievement gap in that rural community. While there, he co-authored a chemistry teacher education course for a national teacher certification program. Unsatisfied with his ability to affect large-scale educational change as a classroom teacher and school leader, Brent has entered the doctoral program in education at Harvard University where he is currently researching teacher training and certification.
Kim McIntosh. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2004.
Kim McIntosh is currently a Master's candidate in Biology at ASU. Her studies focus on science and technology policy, and she is working with Dr. Richard Mahoney exploring the IP landscape for innovating novel vaccines in developing countries. She teaches the Microbiology Service Learning Internship, which provides ASU students the opportunity to teach science to at-risk students in middle school. She is working with faculty and researchers at ASU and faculty at Greenfield Middle School to develop a science curriculum that not only demonstrates scientific principles, but also challenges the students to think critically, make their own hypotheses, and conduct research based on those hypotheses. Kim is also researching instruments to measure the success of service learning programs, which try to measure the impact that these programs have in the community.
Mia McNulty. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2004.
Mia McNulty is continuing her education through the Center for Biology and Society after completing her B.S., cum laude, from the program in 2004 with a minor in Philosophy and a certificate in the History and Philosophy of Science. As a student in the Master of Science in Biology Program in the School of Life Sciences, she is exploring topics in the History and Philosophy of Biology, and Public Health Policy and Administration. She is also a part of the Scholarly Publishing Program through the Department of History, and works as the editorial assistant for the Carnap Project under Dr. Richard Creath, the director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program.
Patricia Pearce. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2004.
Pat is a registered nurse who has spent the last 10+ years working with oncology patients. After spending a number of years in oncology research, she came to the conclusion that there were more questions than answers. She decided to pursue a BS in Biology with an emphasis in genetics. She found a home in Biology and Society where she wrote an undergraduate thesis on the effects of burnout amongst oncology nurses.
She feels strongly about the state of nursing in the changing face of healthcare. Her research is a work in progress. At the hospital, she has worked closely with supervisors and staff to help develop programs to reduce the amount of stress and burnout on the unit.
Pat graduated with honors and plans to do her Graduate program at ASU in the Center for Biology and Society with a strong emphasis on bioethics and research. She is currently working in the new therapeutics program at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center.
Charlie Preston. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2002.
My Biology and Society degree helped me explore a wide variety of subject matter, from bioethics to science writing with a Pulitzer Prize winning author. But perhaps more importantly, it taught me to think critically, creatively, and across disciplines. With BREU funding, I worked on a wide range of integrative projects in areas such as stroke prevention advocacy and HIV quality of care. What's more, in majoring in Biology and Society, I gained a community of creative and passionate students to share ideas with, as well as highly supportive and enthusiastic faculty mentors. It was Dr. Maienschein who helped me secure an internship with ASU's entrepreneurial research arm, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Affairs (OVPREA), where I wrote my honors thesis on ASU's prospects for building a program in environmental health science. My work at OVPREA sparked additional interests-- in government, politics, and policy. After graduating from ASU in 2002, I worked for a US Congressman, entered medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and spent the summer after 1st year working for a US Senator in Washington, D.C. as well as working on a World Bank HIV project in the Caribbean country St. Vincent. Since graduation, I've stayed in touch with faculty from Biology and Society and found continued moral support for my dreams. Recently, I was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Trinidad and Tobago to study the interaction between adolescent health and political participation. Upon return, I'll finish medical school, forgo a residency, and head to law school. Ultimately, I want to work in government on public health and social policy. I'd also love to run for Congress.
Sarah St. John. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2003.
Sarah St. John graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Honors and Interdisciplinary Colleges in 2003. Her major concentrations were Biology and Sociology, and she completed a minor in Communication. Her Honors Thesis is entitled Sexual Health Education and Awareness; for the prevention of STDs, she educated over 300 ASU students on the biological nature of STDs, the importance of correct latex condom use, and relational communication. Sarah served as a teaching assistant for Dr. Jane Maienschein's The History of Medicine and Dr. Joan McGregor's Bioethics courses. Not only has academic excellence been Sarah's top priority, but leadership and community involvement have been important as well. Serving as ASU's elected 2001-2002 Student Body Vice-President, Sarah devoted much time to community service and education. Currently Sarah is a MPH candidate specializing in Public Health Policy at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she is also serving as a research assistant at GW's Health Policy Center. Sarah plans to complete both her Masters and Ph.D. in Health Policy with the career goals of working for the government as a Public Policy analyst and obtaining a professorship position.
Alon Unger. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 1999.
Alon graduated in 1999 from the Honors College/College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a BA in Religious Studies, BS in Biology and Society and Certificate in SE Asian Studies. His honors thesis examined the role of the Thai Buddhist monastic order's response to HIV/AIDS in Thailand, and followed a long-standing involvement in local and international HIV/AIDS projects. Following graduation, Alon was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in the History of Medicine at Oxford University and a master’s degree in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, traveling widely in Southern Africa for his research projects. He is currently a fourth year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco. He continues to be fascinated by the intersection of biology and society, and works with the HIV/AIDS patients at homeless clinics in San Francisco. He plans to take a research year funded by the Fogarty Foundation/NIH to study tropical diseases among the urban poor in Northeast Brazil.
Nan Wu. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Biology and Society, 2005.
I chose the Biology and Society program at ASU because of the possibilities it offered to combine my interests in the social sciences (history, anthropology) with biology. My experiences in the Biology and Society program have been amazing. I have been able to do research within a plant biology laboratory but have also been able to take classes in the history of medicine and bioethics. There is a great deal of flexibility in the curriculum and being able to work closely with senior faculty mentors on thesis projects is invaluable. All of the professors involved in the program are deeply invested in the well-being of students. I feel that I have had the best of both worlds: a well-rounded liberal arts education as well as a solid background in the core sciences. Having just completed my honors senior thesis “Germany Typhus Experiments during WWII and Implications for Bioethics,” within the Biology and Society requirements and the ASU Barrett Honors College, I will be spending my fifth year abroad in Shanghai and then Beijing on National Security Education Program (NSEP) grant to study Mandarin Chinese and public health in local hospitals and clinics. Upon graduation in May 2005, I will be applying for M.D./M.P.H programs and seeking either an internship with the Centers for Disease Control or the NIH Academy for Health Disparities during the gap year between graduation and matriculation to medical school.