Pictured from left to right: Brea Tinsley, Alexandra Ballow, Mark DeAngelis, and Nathan Williams

We are so proud of all of the students graduating this spring! We want to give a special highligh to a few who are moving on to some prestigious graduate programs around the country. We can't wait to see what you all do next!

Brea Tinsley

Brea Tinsley is a senior from Warren, Ohio, graduating this spring with a major in biochemistry. After she graduates, Brea will be pursuing a PhD in Nutritional and Metabolic Biology at Columbia University.

YSU faculty’s support and strong mentorship has helped Brea gain experience. Her research experiences played a role in grad school admission. Thanks to a tip from one of her professors, Brea was accepted into her most meaningful REU, RISE at Rutgers, where she investigated SARS-CoV-2 mutations. This experience taught her valuable skills such as computational biology and molecular modeling and allowed her to obtain skills that most learn in graduate school.

Brea’s first year is completely covered by the university in addition to the Dean's Diversity Fellowship. Her current research interests include stem cell biology, metabolic biology, and endocrinology. One of Brea’s future goals is to do research in diabetes and other metabolic conditions.

Read more about Brea's Rutgers experience HERE.

Alexandra Ballow

Alexandra Ballow, a mathematics and physics major, grew up in Deshler, OH (a small town an hour south of Toledo). She will be attending Montana State University's Mathematics PhD program with a focus in algebraic topology and geometric physics.

Being part of the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program (COFSP) had the biggest impact on Alex’s undergraduate career. COFSP gave her the opportunity to meet a faculty member who subsequently brought her to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to do research over a summer. This experience, along with several other research projects, led Alex to be chosen as a recipient of the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship.

This prestigious award will pay for tuition, fees, health insurance, and a monthly stipend for four full years of graduate school. In return, Alex will present at their annual conference and spend one summer working at a DOE National Lab during the four years. She plans to work in academia, either as a professor at a university or a scientist at a national lab.

Read more about Alex's accomplishments HERE and HERE.

Mark DeAngelis

Mark DeAngelis, a senior from Champion, Ohio, will be graduating this spring with a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Mathematics. After graduating, Mark will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to obtain a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, where he will also be researching biology-related robotics.

Mark believes that the reason he was admitted to the Carnegie Mellon University graduate program was not only because of foundational knowledge he received in the classroom, but also the leadership opportunities available to him at YSU. As the President of the YSU Robotics Club, Mark has had the honor of working with over a dozen students from different backgrounds and majors on several projects. He’s enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere he had with other students while he was President of the YSU Robotics Club. He feels that this experience will benefit him when he attends graduate school.

Mark will be fully funded under the research of Dr. Philip LeDuc and Dr. Warren Ruder, who both worked at the intersection of mechanical engineering and biology. Mark plans on joining their labs sometime this summer to get a head start on his research. He hopes to continue researching robotics by working for a national lab or a technology company that focuses in that field and hopes to be at the forefront of technological innovation so that he can make the lives of all people easier with advancements in robotics.

Nathan Williams

Nate Williams, a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry this may. After graduation, Nate will be attending Texas A&M University to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry.

Nate’s biochemistry research experience with Dr. Nina Stourman helped him gain more experience with presenting scientific research and solving science problems. Nate’s leadership roles in student organizations such as the American Chemical Society also helped him improve his speaking skills and comfort level with presenting; the professors that interviewed him for TAMU apparently enjoyed how comfortable and confident he was speaking with them.

Nate will be supported by the Texas A&M 2021-2022 Avilés-Johnson Fellowship. The Fellowship goes a bit beyond the typical fellowship in the Texas A&M program by rewarding some extra funds, chances to earn extra career certifications, and chances to meet other fellows at social events.

Nate’s primary goal is to pursue a research career in the field of genetic/biological engineering, which involves the customization/manipulation of organisms to suit particular applications. He also wants to work with science policy and science communication. This secondary focus is tied to Nate’s interest in genetic engineering, as the topic is widely misunderstood and generative of fear. He hopes to ensure that all new scientific technologies we pursue are appropriately safe for the world and easy for people to understand.