GSBS recognizes 57 students for achieving milestone in biomedical sciences graduate training

Fifty-seven Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences students celebrated a milestone achievement on their path to doctoral degrees at the annual GSBS Recognition Ceremony. The event honoring those who have successfully completed the qualifying exam, which marks the transition from classroom-based learning to candidacy for a doctoral degree, took place on Wednesday, Sept. 11, during Convocation week at UMass Medical School.

“Successful completion of the qualifying exam represents a significant and substantive scientific achievement that marks the true beginning of doctoral research,” said Mary Ellen Lane, PhD, dean of the GSBS, in her welcoming remarks. “You have earned the confidence of the academic community in your ability to execute original and impactful dissertation research.”

Those who pass the qualifying exam, taken in their second year of study, experience a range of feelings—relief at having the intensive preparation behind them, pride in the accomplishment and excitement at the prospect of concentrating on their chosen research topics in the coming years.

“Today is really meaningful because since I was young, I have dreamed of doing scientific research,” said Nien Chen Li, MPA, MA, a member of the Arlene Ash lab. “I feel grateful to have the opportunity and privilege to have hit this milestone, with a lot of help from faculty and mentors, to bring me to a new level in scientific research and to fulfill my dream.”

Dr. Lane named Mackenzie Flynn, a student in the lab of Jennifer Benanti, PhD, associate professor of molecular, cell & cancer biology, as the recipient of the Zelda Haidak Memorial Scholarship. Now in its second year, the Haidak scholarship is named in honor of Zelda S. Haidak, the wife of long-time faculty member Gerald L. Haidak, MD, to support female trainees working in the area of cell biology.

“It will be nice to focus on my research,” said Flynn, who is investigating how the cell cycle is controlled in response to stress. “I’m excited about having the time to think about the next steps to guide the project forward.”

Lane and Morgan Thompson, PhD, assistant dean of student affairs and enrollment for the GSBS, presented a congratulatory gift of laser pointers and newly printed business cards to each student in recognition of the milestone. The students are: