My time at Loras has shaped my world view significantly and made me realize that I enjoy and

want to keep learning. Early in my college career I was using Loras as a means to get to medical school. It
was about taking the right classes and building the perfect resume. Reflective of my transcript it was
hard to motivate myself and do well in challenging and easy classes alike when the goal was to build a
perfect transcript. After sophomore year the idealistic and largely fabricated goal of medical school
disappeared, but the real love of science was still there. Loras became a place to explore, grow
intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally; and choose a career that fits me.

An Intensive Research forced me to think about all science classes differently. It made me think
of science as a process of solving problems and validating your solution to the problem. This class also
required me to do an independent research project and find a mentor. I was hesitant to choose Dr. Adam
Moser because I was unfamiliar and had no experience with computational research, but this
unfamiliarity also sparked my curiosity and outweighed my hesitation. I also knew I needed a mentor
with high expectations, someone who would push me to do research at a level to prepare me for
graduate school.

The summer after junior was when I realized I wanted to attend graduate school. A little
frustrated I didn’t get accepted into a summer program I stayed at Loras. In addition to that frustration
my project changed from protein simulation to applying density functional theory to quantum
calculations. The frustration was short lived because I enjoyed my new project and realized the
advantage of having some experience in both areas. It’s easy to enjoy the idea of something, and hate
the work it requires. I enjoyed the idea of learning a new language, but struggled with Spanish classes;
however, I enjoyed the struggles that came with research. I struggled to learn computer programming, to
find trends in the thousands of calculations, and to read articles to decide which direction to take the
project. These frustrations and struggles were met with resilience because I was motivated to find an
answer to my research question and eager to learn more about the mysteries in quantum mechanics:
which has fundamentally changed the view of the natural world.

In order to make an informed decision about what to study at the graduate level I sought out
general research experience outside of the computer lab. I would join Dr. McLaughlin (my physics and
astronomy professor and employer at the planetarium) at the observatory to do spectroscopy and
photometry of a binary star system. I also joined Dr. Kate Cooper in researching dictyostelium
discoideum migration with cAMP inhibitors after she was intrigued by a lab I designed in Cellular and
Molecular biology. Throughout the experiences I was able to connect my chemistry knowledge to
astronomy and biological systems. These experiences also enhanced my enjoyment of computational
research and thinking about chemistry at the sub-atomic level.

My physical chemistry and mathematical background suffered a bit due to the size of Loras and
the biological focus early in my college career. However; I am motivated to take classes and expand my
knowledge in these areas. This motivation has helped me to enjoy and excel in analytical chemistry as it
directly relates to research and has exposed me to chemistry to the next level of difficulty. It expands
upon general chemistry and has made me consider atomic and molecular interactions to rationalize the
Van Deemter and Debye-Huckel equations. It has also made me appreciate the theory and design of
instruments such as mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, and spectroscopy. This class has increased
my curiosity of processes happening at the atomic level, and I am excited to go further in depth at the
graduate level.

My motivation to learn and do research has been an important part of my decision to continue
my education and obtain a Ph.D. Research experiences and science courses have sparked my interest to
learn, research, and discover fundamentals of the natural world. Devoted professors have also been
influential in my decision to obtain a Ph.D. As they have supported me in my journey I also want to
become a professor and not only help students, but also join them in research; whether it is at a large or
small institution. My desire to be a professor also comes from my experiences tutoring students, and
planetarium presentation. I used to be scared to death to speak in public, but I have grown to love
presenting my research at ACS or about space at the planetarium because it is teaching and inciting
excitement about topics I am excited about.

I believe MIT is the place to continue my education and obtain my Ph.D. The extensive research
in the areas of physical chemistry and chemical biology are areas I want to research and teach. My major
and educational background has been mostly in biochemistry, which sparks my interest in the Mei Hong,
Schlau-Cohen, and the Drennan labs; however, the majority of my research has been in physical
chemistry by studying density functional theory and learning about quantum mechanics. This has
increased my curiosity for what is happening at the atomic level. Naturally this lead to wanting to work
with Troy Van Voorhis as he applies Density Functional theory to model electron motion in an excited
state. I am also interested in working with the Nelson lab as they research structural and chemical
changes via laser spectroscopy, Cao’s investigation of quantum coherence in proteins, and Ceyer’s
research into catalytic reactions and the pressure gap.

In addition to the research MIT’s commitment to diversity will help myself grow as a person, and
inclusion of many faith backgrounds will help me grow in my faith. This growth will be catalyzed by
leaving the Midwest, and living in a city much larger that Dubuque or my home town in Minnesota. The
research in addition to the opportunities outside the classroom that MIT and Boston offer will help me
become the person I want to be: a professor who can relate to and teach a diverse group of students.