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At Drew, you don’t just study the sciences—you live as a scientist. You spend four years collaboratively learning in the classroom, researching in the lab and exploring in the field. You have the chance to hone your skills and open doors even wider in far-away places—like the northern Red Sea—and in your own backyard alongside renowned scientists through RISE. And because it’s happening at Drew, you’ll graduate a scientist who knows how to think, write, speak and reason across all fields and among all people. This is why some of the best graduate programs in the country find our science majors so attractive. In fact, it is not unusual for these schools to cover all costs of graduate study for our alumni through fellowships or research and teaching assistantships.

Consider the stories of Maria Carroll, Corey Cusack, Cory J. Krediet, David Newby and Dan Riccio:

Maria Carroll

Maria Carroll C’07 used to dread having to give presentations. In the field of chemistry it’s essential to be able to get up and share your research with peers—a daunting prospect for a self-proclaimed “shy person.” As a chemistry undergrad, Carroll and her fellow students were required to present their work to each other. With the myriad opportunities to tackle this fear at Drew, her confidence was boosted, and doors were more easily opened. Following a year spent working after receiving her bachelor’s degree, Carroll was accepted into the chemistry graduate program at the School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She plans to conduct research on inorganic synthesis or development of catalysts, some of which focus on bioinorganic chemistry. She became interested in this research area through her inorganic chemistry classes at Drew. A summer in a Research Experience for Undergraduates program focusing on inorganic research, as well as research alongside a Drew professor using computational chemistry motivated by a biochemical problem, spurred her interest. Carroll feels one of the unique aspects of Drew’s program is how closely students work with professors. “At Drew, you really work one-on-one with your professors, especially when doing research. Each professor only has a couple of other students working with them, so they have to time to focus on one student at a time,” she says. The boosted confidence, the research opportunities, the one-on-one attention—for Carroll, it added up to outstanding preparation for graduate school.

Corey Cusak

Graduate school in the sciences requires an incredible work ethic, unwavering passion and an eagerness to learn, according to Corey Cusack C’08, who is perfecting these qualities in the biological and biomedical sciences program at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Medical School. While a neuroscience major at Drew, Cusack’s professors constantly challenged her to think critically and ask the right questions, and she felt her ambitions and ideas were eagerly supported. Cusack says, “I graduated from Drew with confidence, a strong set of personal values and an unquenchable drive to learn”—the same qualities she reports necessary for success in graduate school. Now in her first year at UNC, Cusack will explore many aspects of neurobiology before committing to a specific research area, and she’s enjoying the freedom to explore and learn about diverse research topics, from treatment of debilitating chronic pain conditions to stem cell differentiation and neuronal migration during development. During this critical first year, Cusack is being challenged to think in more ways than she ever thought possible, and in the process, she’s becoming a more aware, well-rounded scientist—a natural and elegant next step for someone who believes her undergraduate experience at Drew helped her become a more open-minded and tolerant human being. Cusack’s next step? She’s considering careers in both science writing and teaching neuroscience at a small liberal arts college like Drew. “I hope to inspire future scientists and help others understand why research is so important.”

Cory J. Krediet

During his sophomore year at Drew, Cory J. Krediet C’06 traveled to Egypt through a Drew International Seminar to study coastal development along the northern Red Sea and its implications on coral reefs. It was the start of something big for Krediet. Now a doctoral student in the interdisciplinary ecology program at the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, this one-time pre-med student is researching gene expression in a coral white pox pathogen, Serratia marcescens, in the hopes of contributing to the management of coral disease. He chose the program because he’s able to study traditional ecological science while at the same time examining the social and economic aspects associated with his field of study—an approach Krediet’s used to from his days at Drew. As an undergraduate biology major, he did a lot of ecological work, looking at interactions between species and their environment. Besides studying corals in Egypt, Krediet learned about experimental design and how to conduct experiments in the field through two marine ecology courses in New England and Belize. These experiences led him to a Research Experience for Undergraduates internship funded by the National Science Foundation at Shoals Marine Lab in the Gulf of Maine. And because of his close interaction with his professors as a student, Krediet later served as a teaching assistant for the course in Belize, proving he is well on his way to his ultimate goal: a marine ecology professorship at a small undergraduate college.

David Newby

At first it seemed paradoxical to David Newby C’08, choosing to pursue his physics doctorate at Boston University—a school of more than 30,000 students—after four years in Drew’s close-knit physics program. After all, it was Drew’s small size and dedicated faculty that drew him to the program in the first place. It was quite a leap, but one he felt prepared to make. He credits the practical experience he gained as an undergrad, as well as the commitment of his professors, for his academic success so far. At BU, Newby is taking a full load of physics courses and soon will be looking for a lab group to join. Then he’ll spend four years doing research in the area of condensed matter physics, where he’ll gear his efforts toward research that can result in a new technology or improve an existing one. The experience mirrors one Newby had as an undergrad in his advanced physics lab classes, where students struggle with the true difficulties of scientific research: experiment building, technological troubleshooting, dealing with real-world conditions instead of textbook examples. In these and all his courses, Newby found camaraderie, not competition, and the hearty mix of intellectual, cultural and philosophical insights that arises from being a part of a liberal arts community. Says Newby, “Anyone can teach themselves from a book; learning critical thinking and to look at things from someone else’s point of view is much more difficult—and this is what Drew provides.”

Daniel Riccio

Ask Daniel Riccio C’06 to name three unique experiences of his Drew education, and he doesn’t hesitate: a research opportunity through RISE, an internship in a forensic science lab and a stint co-leading a peer workshop for second-year chemistry students. All three laid the foundation for Riccio’s current unique experience, pursuing a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ranked the number one graduate program for analytical chemistry in the country. Specifically, the RISE internship allowed him to grow as an independent researcher; the forensic lab offered a glimpse of how a government-run lab differs from academia; and, perhaps most importantly for Riccio, as a peer leader he got a taste of what teaching would entail—a good taste, at that, since he’s considering a career as chemistry professor. But it wasn’t just this latter experience that informed his future plan. “The attention I received from my Drew professors was crucial to my success and is something I hope to emulate when I become a professor,” he says. For now, Riccio uses his skills conducting research at UNC to improve the overall integration of medical devices—like a hip replacement—into the human body, a project he feels benefits society. Solving real-world problems is one of the reasons he chose analytical chemistry, and it rings of Drew’s own mission. Riccio believes his liberal arts background often allows him a different and valuable perspective—and sets him apart from other students in his graduate program.