Regan Miller, Leah Dresvyannikov, Justice McMath and Grace Klemp are STEM students working in exceptional research projects this spring.
Providing meaningful research opportunities has become a hallmark of the science experience at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Through the leadership of Dr. Chelsea Comadoll, MNU’s Barkman Endowed Professor in Chemistry, some of MNU’s most promising students are gaining hands-on research experience in world-class laboratories while still undergraduates. Since 2023, Comadoll has helped more than a dozen students secure summer positions at top research institutions from coast to coast across chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and computer science.
This year, she and Prof. Leigh Kreshel, assistant professor of kinesiology and chair, have worked to build local research opportunities for their students. MNU joined the STEM Unity Alliance-Kansas City (SUAKC) Program, a new program spearheaded by Dr. Joanna Cielocha (Rockhurst University) and Dr. Brittany Martinez (University of Kansas Medical Center). This year, four MNU undergraduates applied and were accepted to the program.
Program Requirements
Students are expected to commit five hours each week to research in addition to their full academic course load. They receive research course credit through MNU while working directly in the lab to which they are assigned. These placements allow them to contribute to critical medical research, develop their scientific skills, and gain experience that helps to inform their future while strengthening their future medical or graduate school applications.
Comadoll stays connected with the students through biweekly reports that track learning objectives and project progress. The work they are each participating in, she says, is cutting-edge. “In this experience, these students are not spectators. They are in the lab doing the work, learning on the job, and discovering in the process that they are capable of making a difference now and in their future careers.”
Four MNU students are currently participating in the following prestigious placements this spring:
- Regan Miller, a sophomore biology and chemistry major from Wichita, Kansas, works in the Lab of Dr. Prakesh Kharel at the University of Kansas Medical Center, studying G-quadruplex structures in RNA and DNA and how these molecular formations influence cancer cell stability.
Regan says, “My career goals include becoming a physician assistant. This program has given me insight into the world of therapeutic research and how the medicine and treatments I will administer to future patients are actually made.”
- Justice McMath, a junior kinesiology major from Collinsville, Oklahoma, conducts research in the lab of Dr. Heather Wilkins at the University of Kansas Medical Center, investigating how impaired mitochondrial recycling (mitophagy) may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Justice plans to become a physician with an emphasis in sports medicine. “I believe developing hypotheses in the lab will directly translate to diagnosing patients,” he says.
- Leah Dresvyannikov, a sophomore biology and chemistry major from Shawnee, Kansas, studies placental development in the lab of Dr. Kaela Varberg at Children’s Mercy Research Institute, examining how disruptions during pregnancy may contribute to long-term health conditions.
Leah’s career goal is to be a physician. “This experience has encouraged me to think more critically, ask stronger scientific questions, and consider how research can inform my future career,” Leah says.
- Grace Klemp, a sophomore nursing major from Lansing, Kansas, works in a baby health and behavior lab with Dr. Kai Ling Kong at Children’s Mercy Research Institute, exploring how infants respond to different types of positive reinforcement, such as music or food rewards.
Grace began this experience as a biology major intending to pursue a career in forensics, but the experience revealed a calling to pediatric nursing.
Experiences like these highlight the dedication of MNU faculty who actively seek out opportunities for their students—opening doors to discovery while helping them explore how their talents in science and medicine may become part of their life’s purpose. Learn about opportunities for students to study STEM at MNU.
