Three STEM students pursued their passions at UWM by always dreaming bigger

Three-paneled image. On the left is a young white man smiling against a black background. In the middle is a young white woman in a lab coat. On the right is a young Black man in a white lab coat and safety glasses.
These stories, featuring three Letters & Science students or recent graduates, are part of the “Always Dream Bigger” series.

These stories are part of the “Always Dream Bigger” series, written to celebrate the inauguration of UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Thomas Gibson.

Gibson’s own path in life exceeded his earliest expectations, and he encourages students to seek out new opportunities. The UWM students and alumni in these stories share what it means to them to Always Dream Bigger at UWM.

Recent UWM physics grad sees the value of persistence

A man sits in front of a black screen that shows the night sky and a green celestial object.
Nick Nelson changed colleges and his career path shortly into his freshman year. He began as a mechanical engineering major but soon transferred to UWM to study physics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physics in May and begins the doctoral program in astronomy at the University of Virgina in Charlottesville this fall. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)

Nick Nelson began college as a mechanical engineering major. But just weeks into his freshman year, he realized he was much more interested in physics, a major that his engineering-focused school didn’t offer. He began researching other universities, and UW-Milwaukee immediately caught his eye.

“I saw that UWM has a fantastic physics program, and I knew I liked the campus and the area around it,” Nelson said. He also was reassured by the wide range of majors at UWM. “I knew that if for whatever reason physics didn’t work out, I’d be able to find something eventually that clicked for me.”

Physics did in fact click for him. Nelson especially enjoyed his courses with Philip Chang, a physics professor who specializes in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology. Intrigued by the possibilities of undergraduate research, Nelson asked Chang if he could work with him on a research project. The professor asked him to come back in a year or two, explaining that he typically supervises students who are more advanced in their coursework, an advantage for theoretical and computational research.

A few months later, Nelson attended a meeting for physics majors and faculty, where Chang mentioned students’ future careers. “He told us that to be successful in physics and astronomy, one of the main things you need is persistence,” Nelson recounted. “Right after that meeting, I went up to him and said, ‘You said we need to be persistent. Are you sure I can’t research with you?’”

Read the full story on UWM Report.

UWM helps student grow her love of science – and her confidence

A woman in a white lab coat works with liquid in a beaker in a lab.
Ally Ruffino worked on research involving bacteriophage, a virus type that infects and replicates inside bacteria, in the lab of Alita Burmeister, assistant professor of biological sciences. (Photo courtesy of Ally Ruffino)

After she graduated from UW-Milwaukee in May, Ally Ruffino moved to the Washington area to take a fellowship conducting research at the National Institutes of Health.

She recently was riding the Metro train around the city when she had a realization about this new phase of her life. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘Oh, younger me would be really impressed,” she said.

Back in high school, Ruffino discovered that she loved science and completed an independent research project on bacteriophage, a virus type that infects and replicates inside bacteria.

So she was especially excited to arrive at UWM for college and meet Alita Burmeister, assistant professor of biological sciences, who conducts research on phage.

“I thought I knew a lot about phage, but I didn’t know anything,” said Ruffino, who grew up in St. Louis. “I looked at her and thought, ‘I want to be this person!’”

Read the full story on UWM Report.

Undergraduate research gives student new career possibilities

A young Black man wearing a lab coat and safety glasses uses a pipette while a white woman in a white lab coat looks on. They are in a bioscience lab.
A neuroscience major, Jehiel Smith works in the lab of Elizabeth Liedhegner, assistant professor of biomedical science, studying a cell model of diabetic retinopathy. One of their goals is to understand how high glucose alters protein expression involved in blood vessel growth and inflammation. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)

Back when Jehiel Smith was in middle school, the movies “Hidden Figures” and “Black Panther” celebrated Black people with expertise in STEM fields. “Those movies were big for my age group and my culture,” he said. But as much as he admired those characters, their knowledge felt out of reach.   

He considered working in healthcare, perhaps as a doctor. He spent his teenage years as his mother’s primary caregiver, helping her cope with multiple chronic conditions. Those experiences led him to earn his nursing assistant certification at age 17, which allowed him to work at a nursing facility in his neighborhood in Greenfield.

During high school, Smith also met the founders of Pipeline to Practice, a Milwaukee nonprofit that supports American descendants of slavery in their efforts to become doctors. When cofounder Dr. Delicia Randle-Izard learned about Smith’s experience working with older adults, she encouraged him to attend UW-Milwaukee and apply to its Success Through Aging Research program. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the program gives UWM undergraduate students funding, academic support and the chance to work on mentored research projects related to aging.

Smith was initially hesitant. “I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going to do well in research,’” he said. “I just want to help people feel better.” 

Read the full story on UWM Report.

By Erin O’Donnell, Marketing & Communications