Cunningham accepted into Yale Amgen Scholars

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Dominique Cunningham has been accepted into Yale University's BioMed Amgen Scholars program. Inspired and assisted by her mentor Dr. Neal Lin, a lecturer of biology and a Yale alumnus, and Dr. Anastasia Lin, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs and director of the Nationally Competitive Scholarships office, Cunningham applied for the program late last year. 

"Dominique made a point of surprising me in person with her news, and I was absolutely elated," Dr. Anastasia Lin said. "Though the Amgen Program is highly competitive and has a rigorous selection process, I knew Dominique was well-positioned for it given her success in research both here at UNG and beyond. Yet, finding out she was indeed selected — well, that was pure joy. Dominique's passion for and excellence in neuroscience shines in everything she does."

Currently a junior pursuing a degree in biology, Cunningham will be one of the 26 students leaving later this month for Connecticut, where she'll be staying in the graduate dorms. She is very excited about collaborating and adapting during the nine-week program.  

"As a researcher, I'm probably the most excited to see what problems will occur in an experiment and learn how, through critical thinking, to remedy such problems, as well as the technology I will work with at Yale," Cunningham said. "I'm excited to explore such an exciting area in New Haven." 

She shared she discovered the program when she was applying for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and was entranced by the prestigious institutions that participate, including Johns Hopkins, Berkley, California Tech, and of course, Yale. 

Cunningham is the second student from UNG to be accepted into the Amgen program, but the first to accept.  

To be eligible for the program, students must be a U.S. citizen, enrolled in an accredited four-year institution in the U.S., be a sophomore or junior, have a 3.2 GPA or higher, and be interested in pursuing a Ph.D. or M.D.-Ph.D.  

The curriculum includes weekly faculty-led journal clubs and peer-mentoring forums, career development sessions, shadowing experiences and networking opportunities. It concludes with students displaying their research in a poster and brief oral presentation. 

"Being accepted into a prestigious institute comes with the privilege of working with cutting-edge technology, which develops valuable skills for when I conduct my Ph.D., as well as when I go out to start my career in research," the Buford, Georgia, native said. 

This program follows a NSF-funded REU at the University of Washington and a UNG Goldwater nomination for the junior. She also recently participated in UNG's Annual Research Conference. 

A member of Phi Theta Kappa, a former Biology Boot Camp tutor and a leader and mentor on several research teams, Cunningham aspires to one day become a neuroscience researcher at a foundational research institute.