By Stephy Mahoney | Reporter
The Science Research Fellows is a student research-based program that diligently researches year-round on different projects and passions to help foster medical connections for graduate school and beyond.
Waco senior Annie North said the Science Research Fellows is a highly selective major program. North is majoring in geosciences and has a minor in mathematics. She joined the program during her freshman year and can now do research for credit toward her degree.
“It’s nice because now having this ability allows me to delegate a significant amount of time to a research lab while also being able to take multiple disciplines of science classes,” North said.
According to North, one of the main goals of science research fellows is to get undergraduate students involved in research and truly learn how to research effectively and efficiently.
“Science fellows are across all science disciplines,” North said. “I study geosciences, but some of my friends are physics, chemistry, biology. There’s a lot of variety.”
North said it’s really important for the major you are in to be actively involved in an undergraduate lab, as this allows you to be active in both coursework and research. The minimum requirement is two years in a lab.
North was one of two Baylor students to win the Goldwater Award this year. The award recognizes undergraduate students who excel in STEM research and is a scholarship that funds students in their senior year.
San Diego senior Zachariah Shields is another member of the Science Research Fellows. He studies biochemistry and has minors in chemistry and Spanish.
Shields said his love for helping others stems from his family. The Shields family opened up a non-profit organization for children with disabilities in California called A Night To Remember Prom.
Shields is part of the Shaw Research group, a biochemistry lab that focuses on making lab data fully accessible to blind and impaired individuals. According to Sheilds, the Science Research Fellows is a place to find mentorship and community among like-minded research peers.
“The science fellows has allowed me to pursue multiple different passions within the realm of science,” Shields said.
