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ASU Students Land Prestigious Summer Internships

June 03, 2010

Three Angelo State University students have been awarded summer internships that will take them out of the state and, in one case, out of the country to get hands-on experience in neuroscience, theoretical biology and a non-profit health care mission.

Biochemistry major Wills Register will be heading to Harvard University, where he will study and work in the neuroscience lab of ASU alum Dr. Shivraj Sohur. The main focus of the lab is researching the potential use of stem/neural precursor cells to treat spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and ALS. Register’s internship will run from June 6-Aug. 6.

Mathematics major Emily Hendryx will spend her summer working in the Mathematical and Theoretical Biology Institute at Arizona State University. The purpose of the program is to prepare promising young scientists interested in working at the interface of mathematics, statistics and the natural and social sciences for the rigors of graduate studies. Only 20 participants are chosen each year from a nationwide applicant pool. Hendryx’s internship will run from June 9-Aug. 7.

Nursing major Julianne Johnson has the longest trip ahead of her as she will travel to Eldoret, Kenya, in July to participate in a medical assistance program with Open Arms International (OAI). OAI is a non-profit organization that works with children who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS and left on the streets, often scavenging for food. Johnson will work in a free medical clinic and participate in food distribution and HIV awareness programs.

Register and Johnson are members of the ASU Honors Program. Their internships are being financed through the Alvin and Patricia New Honors Program Enhancement Fund. Johnson’s trip is also being jointly funded by the ASU Center for International Studies’ Student Scholars Program.

Hendryx is vice president of ASU’s student Mathematical Association of America chapter and a member of the Alpha Chi national honor society. Her internship includes reimbursement of travel expenses, free room and board, and a $3,000 stipend.