Major: Biological Sciences
Minors: Anthropology, Biochemistry
Hometown: Caddo Mills, Texas
Gregory Babcock is a junior majoring in biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, with minors in anthropology and biochemistry. He has been dreaming about pursuing a career in science since elementary school.
"I decided to study these fields because I have always been interested in science since about third grade and knew from then on I wanted to be a scientist," Gregory said.
He plans to study how nutrition influences dental morphology and development in the future, with the long-term goal of contributing to research in paleoanthropology. However, his experiential learning course this summer offered him the chance to explore an entirely different area of research in the Applied Soybean Pathology Lab on East Campus.
"Half the research done in this lab is industry-related, working directly with chemical companies like Bayer on new treatments or biotech companies on new agronomical products related to plant diseases," Gregory said. "The other half of the research is standard multi-university agronomy research with a somewhat heavy focus on soybean cyst nematode, white mold, and cercospora (frogeye)."
Gregory recognizes that his summer experience has provided practical knowledge and skills that will be valuable in his future endeavors.
"The most impactful moment of the experience has been the opportunity to work with people directly leading and conducting research, especially those who are not originally from the United States," Gregory said. "Three of my coworkers are Nepali and another coworker is from Brazil; this has broadened both my knowledge within the field and also expanded my worldview."
Looking ahead, Gregory is enthusiastic about how his current research experience will benefit him after graduation.
"This experience has contributed greatly to my education and will serve me well in grad school," Gregory said. "Within the first few weeks of becoming a full-time employee of the lab, I had learned how to do DNA extractions and run gels; on top of this, I've also become more familiar with different aspects of practical biological science research."
