To foster connection and growth between universities within the Church Education System (CES), the College of Life Sciences hosted four students from BYU–Idaho and BYU–Hawaii to assist with hands-on research. In a short three months, multiple interns published papers, exemplifying the potency of collaboration between these academic institutions. Each internship paired a visiting student with a BYU professor in the life sciences for one-on-one mentoring.
The idea for the collaboration came from Carlos Moreno (PhD ’26, MMBIO), who dreamed of encouraging more CES undergraduate students to come to BYU in Provo as graduate researchers. Working with Associate Dean Benjamin Crookston, they obtained Recruiting and Recognizing Graduate Student Excellence (RRGSE) funding provided by Graduate Studies to finance the internships.
Thomas Meilstrup (BIO ’27, BYU-I) was one of the first to arrive, eager to make connections and expand his worldview. He stated that, after some software issues forced a change of plans, he and public health professor Chantel Sloan-Aagard, “worked together and created [their] own, different project” based on RSV hospitalization statistics. Though this research was unfamiliar, Meilstrup pushed himself outside his comfort zone, translating his skills in genetics to the world of medicine. He gained practical experience and is working towards publishing a paper with Sloan-Aagard.
Coming to BYU meant a great deal to Meilstrup. “I wanted to get a foot in the door,” he explains. “Because this is the place I’d like to submit an application to graduate school.” The opportunity to network with life sciences faculty greatly contributed to his experience. Sloan-Aagard echoed that thought, saying, “There’s a large breadth of expertise at BYU in Provo that those students were introduced to.” She hopes that the relationships built through these internships continue to yield fruit, leading to more opportunities for each individual student.
The internships also provided visiting students with a chance to travel and discover new perspectives. Fatima Dagohoy (BIOL ’26, BYU-H) was initially nervous to come to Utah but was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed Provo. “I had never realized how many good people are here,” Dagohoy says. Her research with Dr. Dixon Woodbury from the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology stretched her, and she found many kindred spirits in the Woodbury Lab and around campus who helped her succeed in her internship.
In addition, Dagohoy’s testimony was strengthened by the spiritual discussions she had with her peers and mentors. She would often walk to the weekly devotional, speaking with Woodbury and others about how they saw God’s hand in their research. Whenever Dagohoy felt inadequate thinking about the diseases and neurological disorders that the lab aimed to help with, she grew in gratitude for Jesus Christ, the Master Healer “who can really heal everything, even what’s beyond our understanding.”
From gaining professional experience, networking with faculty, and expanding worldviews, these internships in the College of Life Sciences are full of potential. Students from Idaho and Hawaii were able to grow and learn from BYU–Provo faculty and staff, which resulted in successful research projects and lasting friendships.