UNMC Announces Holland Future Scientist Award Winners

Ten undergraduate students from four Nebraska colleges and universities recently received the 2023 Richard Holland Future Scientist Award from Nebraska Cures. 
 

The students received cash awards totaling $5,000 during the virtual INBRE (Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence Program) conference held Aug. 6-8. 
  
The awards are named in honor of the late Richard Holland, an Omaha philanthropist and longtime supporter of research. This is the 14th year for the awards. 
  
The students listed below were judged in two categories -- oral and poster presentations of the research work they conducted this summer as part of the INBRE program. 
  
The INBRE program is overseen by Paul Sorgen, PhD, a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Sorgen is the principal investigator of the $16.2 million grant funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. 
  
Established in 2001, the INBRE Scholars program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research and build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions. 
  
The INBRE scholars enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation of their college professors. It is a two-year comprehensive training program to prepare the students for graduate school. 
  
The award winners are listed below: 
  
Oral  

1st place – Brigid Toomey 

2nd place – Emma Foley 

3rd place – Sunayan Cheku 

Honorable Mention – Hannah Ladwig 

Honorable Mention – Noah Shackelford 

Poster 

1st place – Abigail Swoboda 

2nd place – Grace Jaworski 

3rd place – Keegan Nitsch 

Honorable Mention – Cami Bisson 

Honorable Mention – Amber Gadeken