Coming into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Catherine Koterba was a pre-med student with a passion for astronomy. Three years later, she is a microbiologist studying thermophilic archaea from the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. On the surface, this appears to be quite the career shift. Yet, for Catherine, this transition was simply the product of a deep-rooted drive to try new things and a relentless persistence to get involved with the topics that generated the most interest.

Zubin Havewala and Garrett McPheron have been selected for the Carl R. Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar Program. They will carry out research projects over a 10-week period over the summer. The students will be supported by a stipend from the IGB and the goal is to inspire them to pursue important scientific questions.

The Carl R. Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar program is designed to inspire students to pursue important scientific questions. This year, Peyton Hopkins and Shreyaa Khanna have been selected to carry out their research for a 10-week period, supported by a stipend from the IGB.

Two of the most basic motivations that drive scientific research—exploration of the unknown and the desire to solve a pressing problem—are represented by this year’s Carl R. Woese undergraduate research scholars. Allison Narlock will spend her summer investigating the mechanics of archaeal cell division; Monika Ziogaite will be working to identify genetic variants that contribute to the metastatic potential of breast cancers.

Lauren Todorov likes to think that life is a web — if you look hard enough, you’ll find that everything is connected.

She’s applying this mindset to the research she is pursuing as this year’s Carl R. Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar.