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    Caroline Brown

    Academic success and research were a major part of Caroline Brown's story at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

    Brown was accepted into the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), worth a total of $134,000 for her graduate research endeavors. Brown, who began a doctoral program at Yale University after graduating from UNG, is the first student to win the award while enrolled at UNG.

    She was a Goldwater Honorable Mention, an award given to college students in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States. She also took part in a NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Minnesota.

    She worked as part of a Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) grant with Dr. Yu Wang, assistant professor of chemistry at UNG. She was UNG's honoree at the University System of Georgia's (USG) Academic Recognition Day.

    Brown recently moved north for a doctoral program at Yale University. The Carrollton, Georgia, native earned a degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Brown said her interactions with faculty was a constant through each of those successes.

    "That's made all the difference in my education," Brown said. "They take a vested interest in their students, in preparing them and encouraging them and equipping them for the next stage of whatever they choose to do."

    In a similar way, Brown passed on the knowledge she has gained to younger students. She helped them with scholarship applications and shared older students' successes as president of the Honors Program.

    An NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) Scholar, Brown started out as a biology major before dipping her toes into biochemistry research with Wang. She was hooked. Brown chose a new major: biochemistry.

    "It's a really nice cohesion between the two fields I like," Brown said. "If I can combine them, that's the best of both worlds."

    The focus of Brown's research at UNG was enzymes. Brown was one of the few undergraduate students invited to present her research at a conference at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Most have to apply. She also shared this work at the American Chemical Society national meeting March 31 through April 4, 2019, in Orlando, Florida.

    She spent a summer doing some Alzheimer's disease research, which she would like to explore more at Yale. She is intrigued by the idea that most medical treatments tackle such a small portion of a disease.

    "Disease is fascinating in how it works. We don't understand well how it works," Brown said. "That's the issue with a lot of our treatments."

    She hopes to learn more about diseases at a molecular level to help create better treatments.

    Brown applied to eight competitive graduate programs, including the University of Washington. She said she applied to Yale on a whim.

    "Never in a million years did I think they would consider me," Brown said. "All of the 12-hour days in the lab over the summer paid off. My hard work actually amounted to something and turned into something that's tangible and real. It was super rewarding."

    Courtney Hall

    Courtney Hall

    Courtney Hall helped new students love UNG through orientation and now assists them through her work in Academic Advising.
    Katayoun  Mobasher

    Katayoun Mobasher

    Dr. Katayoun Mobasher enjoys interdisciplinary studies where she can combine her background and knowledge of geology, GIS, and remote sensing technologies in health-related fields.
    Ashlee McCaskill

    Ashlee McCaskill

    Ashlee McCaskill, associate professor of biology at UNG, manages the greenhouse on the Dahlonega Campus and serves as curator of the botanical teaching collection, herbarium, and native garden. She established the woodland garden through grant funding.
    Dan Emmett

    Dan Emmett

    UNG alumnus Dan Emmett, '78, said UNG re-emphasized his parents' teachings of honor, discipline, service to one's country, and trying to do your best at everything you attempt.
    Phil O'Donnell

    Phil O'Donnell

    Before he launched a career with his degree in criminal justice, Phil O'Donnell of Suwanee, Georgia, tested himself against the best cyclists in the world.
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