Biological Sciences
Possible Alumni Success Story Questions
We consider you one of the success stories from our department. We would like to
use you as an exemplar of our program for prospective students, by presenting your
story on our webpage. If you are comfortable with serving in that role, please
provide answers to the following questions. Thanks, in advance!
1. What did you most appreciate about your time at Minnesota State Mankato?
Or perhaps, what is one of your most memorable experiences from your time
in our program?
I was in the Biotechnology Program. Back then, it was truly one of its kind in
the country, where maybe a dozen or so universities were offering a B.S. and
an M.S. degree in Biotechnology. I especially appreciated the dynamic
atmosphere that strongly promoted undergraduate research and critical
thinking. I felt that the faculty genuinely cared about the students because
they always pushed and challenged them to think outside of the box. Under
such environment, you couldn’t help but feel motivated to work hard and put
in the extra work after class. My most memorable experiences were those
after-class hours, in which I volunteered as a research assistant in Dr. Robert
Lebowitz’s laboratory during my freshman and sophomore year, and in Dr.
Christopher Conlin’s laboratory where I did my undergraduate thesis
research during my senior year.
2. Did our program prepare you for the real world? Did you feel ready to start
your career when you graduated? If so, in what ways?
I was interested in a career in the biotechnology industry and I felt strongly that I
needed to complete my education and training with a Ph.D degree. The
Biotechnology Program at MSU more than prepared me for graduate school and I
was accepted into several graduate programs. The graduate schools I applied to
were definitely impressed with the breadth and depth of the curriculum of the
Biotechnology Program, as well as by my extensive research experience. I also
had already published two methodology papers with Dr. Lebowitz and presented
two posters on my research at separate national symposiums.
3. Did the applied, hands-on nature of our program make a difference as you
started your first job? Any examples would be extremely beneficial.
In addition to my undergraduate research experience at MSU, during my
junior year, I received a stipend to conduct a summer research internship in
the laboratory of Dr. Ronald Somerville in the Department of Biochemistry at
Purdue University. The Purdue summer internship was highly competitive
and I was selected by Dr. Somerville because of my research experience in Dr.
Lebowitz’s laboratory and his strong letter of recommendation.
4. Were you engaged in undergraduate research, any of the department clubs,
and/or honor societies? If so, which ones and how did they influence your
time at Minnesota State Mankato.
I will skip these questions since they are somewhat redundant or I have
partially answered them (see above responses)
5. What makes Minnesota State Mankato’s Biological Sciences graduates stand
out from others?
I have to say that I thought the Biotechnology program was ahead of its time.
Spearheaded by Dr. Gregg Marg, now the Chair of the Department of
Biological Sciences, the Program was truly innovative in that the award of the
B.S. or M.S. degree was contingent on the successful completion of an
undergraduate thesis project under the close tutelage of your chosen faculty
member. I think MSU’s Biological Sciences graduates stand out not only
because they are well-equipped with the fundamentals, but they also develop
an appreciation and respect for the practical applications of science.
6. To complete this process, please include a short narrative of
training/schools/employment you attended after you left MSU and a photo
that shows you doing what you feel you do best.
After graduation from MSU, Thomas joined the graduate program of the
Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington School of
Medicine, where he received his Ph.D. He is currently a Director and the Head of
Cellular and Translational Immunology at the EMD Serono Research and
Development Institute in MA. He is interested in advancing mechanistic
understanding and thus proof of confidence of novel therapeutic agents for the
treatment of autoimmune disease. Prior to joining EMD, Thomas has led crossfunctional teams in both large and small molecule drug discovery programs at Eli
Lilly and Company, Amgen and Roche.
Send to:
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Department of Biological Sciences
TS-242 Trafton Science Center South
Mankato, MN 56001
507-389-2786
Administrative Assistant: kate.voight@mnsu.edu