Following a Passion for Science to Dental School
Jackie Boran ‘17 decided to pursue a career in dentistry because “it combines my passion for science with my desire to serve others,” she says. At SJU, Jackie worked as an undergraduate researcher in an SJU microscopic roundworm lab, volunteered as a Community Partnership Coordinator at West Catholic High School, and served as the Vice President of Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Professional Honor Society.
Summer Scholar Experience
Under the guidance of Matthew Nelson, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, Jackie was a member of the research team that looked at the quiescent, sleep-like behaviors in the round worm Caenorhabditis elegans. “During sleep, animals become quiescent,” says Nelson, “which means that they stop performing activities that they would normally carry out when they are awake, such as moving and feeding. Many of the genes that control the worm’s behavior also control mammalian behavior, and by studying C. elegans, we hope to further our understanding of how sleep is regulated in humans.”
