Gentry Kerwood ’15 did research on campus for two summers

Gentry Kerwood ’15 (a Biochemistry Molecular Biology major from Pittsburgh, PA) has done research for two consecutive summers with the Chair of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Dean Fraga. Both summers, Kerwood worked with the same family of enzymes and tried to find the tool to prove a particular hypothesis; in fact, that project is now being developed by another student in his I.S. Having interest in pre-med early, Kerwood decided to apply for the sophomore research position because he thought it would be a good tool to have when he went to medical school and give him a competitive edge over others. However, even though he later decided that medicine was not the right path for him, he continued doing research under Dean Fraga as he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He believes it has helped hone his lab skills, which are now proving to be extremely beneficial while doing his I.S. His research experience also helped him develop a certain level of confidence as he is now comfortable with basic lab techniques and can sail smoothly through a lot of components of his I.S. Kerwood plans to pursue a career in optometry but before that, he wants to take a gap year to do more research. He is positive that his experiences as a student researcher will make him a good candidate for professional research positions after college.