--
Research at Marquette helped transform these Arts and Sciences alumni. Discover where they are now because of it.
Jennifer Dienes, Arts ‘05
NOW: Intellectual property attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Chicago
THEN: Spent two years as a biochemistry and molecular biology major researching proteins with Dr. Pinfen Yang, professor in the Biological Sciences Department, and experiencing the thrill of presenting her work at lab meetings and conferences.
HOW RESEARCH CHANGED HER: “I gained a deep understanding and appreciation of the effort, creativity and tenacity required to conduct scientific research,” says Dienes. She also learned how to speak publicly about scientific ideas and credits her overall laboratory experience with helping her land her first position as an associate after law school. “As an intellectual property attorney, you must be able to quickly learn new scientific concepts, discuss those concepts intelligently with experts in the field and then be able to explain complex concepts to people who don’t have any scientific training,” she says. “Research really gave me the foundation to be successful in my career.”
Ciara J. McHugh, Arts ‘13
NOW: Program associate and adjunct instructor at Marquette’s Center for Peacemaking
THEN: Introduced to research by Dr. Sarah Gendron, associate professor of French, McHugh wrote a paper on propaganda against women in French-speaking Rwanda and co-presented findings at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal. She then received two Center for Peacemaking fellowships to travel to Northern Ireland, which led to a master’s in gender-sensitive police reform in post-conflict societies from Queen’s University Belfast.
HOW RESEARCH CHANGED HER: “These projects introduced me to peacemaking on an international scale and deeply influenced my subsequent academic and professional interests,” says McHugh. Solidifying her interest in applied research and guiding her to a career in academia, the projects also introduced her to mentors she continues to rely on today. “To have ended up back at Marquette University, the institution that first cultivated my interests, I feel that my journey has come full circle,” she says.
Andrew Thompson, Arts ‘15
NOW: A third-year doctoral student in political science at Northwestern University
THEN: As an undergraduate majoring in political science and philosophy, Thompson became a McNair Scholar and led a summer research project examining the framing of terrorist attacks in the U.S. mainstream media. A second summer of research followed at Ohio State University, where he examined state building in sub-Saharan Africa and its pertinence to international relations.
HOW RESEARCH CHANGED HIM: Thompson doesn’t mince words: “My undergraduate research experience made an immense difference in the trajectory of my life. I would not be pursuing my Ph.D. or a career in academia were it not for the training I was provided through the Honors Program, the McNair Scholars Program and a research seminar taught by Dr. Astrida Kaugars, associate professor of psychology.” These experiences taught Thompson organization and promptness and helped him sift through what interested him and what did not. In addition to giving him tools for his graduate career, “The Marquette research experience,” says Thompson, “showed me a new world that I have been able to thrive within.”
— By Jennifer Anderson
This section is part of “The Discoverers,” a multi-part feature story on undergraduate research in Marquette’s Arts and Sciences Magazine.
