Recent Grads
Stephen Enos '15
When I went to college I knew I was going to study biology, based on my plan at the time to later apply to veterinary school. I was also dead set on continuing to study German so I could study abroad. While the pursuit of biology shifted into biochemistry after I exchanged a possible career as a veterinarian for one as a research scientist, my time in Leipzig as a Blocker Fellow began what has become a much longer time living and studying in Germany.
After graduating from HWS, I started an internship in Dresden at the Hyman lab at the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, and went on to complete my master’s thesis in molecular bioengineering in 2017 in the Diez lab up the street at the B Cube. Shortly thereafter I began my current work as a doctoral candidate in the Speier group in the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden, studying human stem cell derived beta cell (the cells which secrete insulin) maturation after transplantation. These cells are a potential source of transplantations for people with type 1 diabetes. As one of the student representatives for my Ph.D. program, the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB), I can recommend the program highly to any HWS graduate in the sciences.
During my time at HWS, I was lucky enough to have the strong support of Professor of Biology Sigrid Carle, my honors adviser, and Associate Professor of Chemistry Justin Miller, my academic adviser. The work I did in Sigrid’s lab went a long way toward confirming that I had made the right choice for myself in pursuing a career as a researcher. Additionally, the support of the Center for Global Education (CGE), particularly Amy Teel, helped make planning for, and shipping off to, Leipzig for the semester possible, which was no small feat for a student in the sciences. For any students looking to study abroad, but who are worried about fitting requirements for their majors or minors into their plans, the CGE office is there to help. You might be surprised how many offerings are available which can fit your needs.
I’m currently about halfway through my graduate studies, but only a short way in to what I hope to be a long career in the lab. For anyone passing through Dresden, feel free to reach out and say hello. For anyone not passing through Dresden, I would make the bold statement that the best Christmas markets in Germany can be found only here. Don’t look up other cities first; 1/1 scientists I surveyed agreed with me.