Class of 2019, Majoring in Biology and Electrical Engineering
In honor of National Undergraduate Research Week, the Office of Undergraduate Research is excited to feature a series of unique research experiences from just a few of our many WashU undergraduates engaged in research.
Rory Mather
Graduation Year: 2019
Major: Biology (Neuroscience Track)
Minor: Electrical Engineering
Research Funding: WashU Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BioSURF)
"My end goal is an MD/PhD, so my research skills are directly applicable in providing me with the foundation of knowledge I need to jump start my own personal research projects."
What initially sparked your interest in beginning research at WashU?
After finishing my first year of college and taking all of the introductory science courses, I realized that I wasn’t satisfied with just learning about or applying what has already been discovered. I knew that I needed to be at the forefront of the field and so I figured that I’d get started earlier rather than later by doing research.
How has your research experience impacted you?
My research experience has given me a true understanding of not only how to conduct research, but also has given me basic life skills like how to communicate what I am saying in a concise way, how to make proposals to people about ideas in order to obtain support and resources, how to work on a timeline, and how to maintain efficiency with a large team.
