Burnette
UND third-year graduate student Lisa Burnette has known she wanted a career in science since she was 4, and that passion never let up. It’s helped her become the president of the newly founded UND Women in Science.
From an early age, Burnette told her parents she was going to be a marine biologist. Her parents encouraged her to take all the science classes she could in high school. One class stood out above the rest: microbiology.
“I took microbiology in high school and that’s when I really started to love it,” she said.
Burnette came to UND to pursue a forensic science degree.
“I was really interested in forensic science, and I started taking some chemistry classes as well as biology classes. Before I knew it, I was graduating with a double major in forensic science and chemistry, and a minor in biology.”
After graduating, Burnette joined the workforce for a while before deciding it was time to head back to school.
“I had actually come back to graduate school because I had been working in quality control for a food manufacturing plant, and I saw a need for more rapid testing methods for making sure food is safe,” Burnette said. “I saw a need, and knew I had to go back and get more education on how to fill it.”
As Burnette began her graduate program, her advisor Ann Flower, associate professor of microbiology and the department’s graduate director, brought her along to the first UND Women in Science meeting.
And she’s been passionate about the organization ever since, to the point where she now leads it.
“The main goal of (Women in Science) is to offer networking and mentoring to women in science-related fields, and that’s what made me fall in love with the group,” said Burnette.
UND Women in Science connects current students with women who have been successful in the science field. It’s open to undergraduates and graduates — and men are welcome, too.
“I came into graduate school saying, ‘I absolutely do not want to be involved with academia,” Burnette observed. “But the longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve become interested in the opportunity to mentor people. With academics, you basically get to raise scientists.”
Burnette’s mentoring inspiration came from her own advisor.
“Dr. Flower’s been fantastic,” Burnette said. “I want to do for others what she has done for me.”
***
Strating
All it took was a good experience with a high school teacher to get UND graduate student Shaina Strating interested in chemistry.
“I really liked my high school chemistry teacher and I also liked reading ingredients on soap bottles,” she said. “I’ve always wondered what made up those things, and chemistry gave me the chance to explore it.”
Strating, a Devils Lake, N.D., native, chose to go to UND because it was close to home and it had a good chemistry department.
“I wanted to go into a science-related field because I wanted to be involved in something that was exciting, always changing and challenging,” she said.
Strating has the drive it takes to be a chemist.
“I refuse to give up,” she said. “Those research experiments can be difficult, but if I start something, I stick with it until I finish it.”
While working with Julia Xiaojun Zhao, associate professor of chemistry, during her undergraduate career, Strating considered continuing her education.
“I had a great experience with all of the professors,” Strating said. “I thought they were very intelligent, very eager to teach and they were always accessible to their students. I liked my experience here and wanted to stay. Why change a good thing?”
Now a second-year graduate student, Strating has been working with Fei Tian, a chemistry postdoctoral research associate.
“I’m very fortunate to be working with such great chemists,” she said. “The opportunities I’ve been getting to work with all aspects of research have been great.” Strating will be using her research experiences to help meet her graduate degree requirements.
“I would love to be a professor and have a lab where I can nurture students in research like I have been exposed to,” Strating said. “I want to give that spark of curiosity to other people and foster their love for science.”