Students
Research Symposium
BHSU graduate to continue research on combating fungal infections in genomics program
Naveen Malik, chemistry major from Canton, Ill., says her pre-med courses at Black Hills State University have reinforced skills she's learned working on her research in the lab. Naveen will graduate from BHSU this weekend and will then continue her research on novel compounds to fight fungal infections at BHSU in the masters in integrative genomics program while applying to medical school.
Naveen Malik took biology at Harvard. She graduated from Northwestern. But after taking classes at those elite institutions, Naveen says the personal connections she's formed at Black Hills State University have made all the difference in her success as a student.
Naveen is a nontraditional student with a nontraditional story. She served as the new media director for President Barack Obama's campaign for President in his home state of Illinois. When President Obama won the election, Naveen was selected for a political appointment through the White House and worked at the Pentagon.
"I was deployed overseas to Afghanistan and while I was there I had a realization that I wanted to be a physician, which is what I wanted to do before I was involved in the campaign," said Naveen. "I'd served my country and I was ready to pursue my dream."
Originally from Canton, Ill., Naveen says she initially chose BHSU for her pre-med prerequisites because of the convenience and the low cost of tuition.
"When I arrived at BHSU I thought the faculty was amazing," said Naveen. "I met my mentor Dr. Cynthia Anderson, associate professor of biology. It was the lab opportunities afforded to me and just the comradery and the relationship I formed with my professor that made me stay at BHSU."
Naveen began working in the Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources (CCBR) on campus. She applied for and was granted a research fellowship through the South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (SD-BRIN).
For a year, Naveen took classes and worked in the BHSU lab on Dr. Anderson's research project synthesizing new compounds and testing how efficient they were at killing candida, the most common cause of fungal infections. She then started her own project looking at another compound, thymoquinone, and its effectiveness.
At BHSU, Naveen's research is directly applicable to her goal of becoming a doctor.
"Hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are interested in finding compounds that are more effective and safer at killing fungal infections. Just like pathogens can become resistant to antibiotics, candida and fungal strains can become resistant to compounds used to treat them," said Naveen.
This research is especially important for those who have a comprised immune system, such as burn victims, those diagnosed with HIV, or transplant recipients, says Naveen.
Her research experience at BHSU has inspired Naveen to add a genetic component to her medical training. After graduation, Naveen plans to apply to medical school. She'll also enroll in the graduate program in integrative genomics at BHSU in the fall.
"I'll continue on to the next stage of my research at BHSU which is to run the genomic library, sequence the RNA, and see what genes are being expressed in the treatment group versus the control group."
Naveen says the skills she's learned working in the labs at BHSU are in high-demand and that she's been trained well. She appreciates that the material she learned in the classroom was reinforced in many classes by many different professors.
Naveen says BHSU has been the perfect place to complete her pre-med courses, even as a nontraditional-aged student.
"I didn't know if I would fit in but I've met a number of nontraditional students at BHSU. We've formed a bond and support each other," says Naveen. "Having a career and more life experiences, I've made more meaningful relationships with my professors than I did 10 years ago at college. It was more about the grades the first time around, now it's about the learning."
Naveen Malik took biology at Harvard. She graduated from Northwestern. But after taking classes at those elite institutions, Naveen says the personal connections she's formed at Black Hills State University have made all the difference in her success as a student.
Naveen is a nontraditional student with a nontraditional story. She served as the new media director for President Barack Obama's campaign for President in his home state of Illinois. When President Obama won the election, Naveen was selected for a political appointment through the White House and worked at the Pentagon.
"I was deployed overseas to Afghanistan and while I was there I had a realization that I wanted to be a physician, which is what I wanted to do before I was involved in the campaign," said Naveen. "I'd served my country and I was ready to pursue my dream."
Originally from Canton, Ill., Naveen says she initially chose BHSU for her pre-med prerequisites because of the convenience and the low cost of tuition.
"When I arrived at BHSU I thought the faculty was amazing," said Naveen. "I met my mentor Dr. Cynthia Anderson, associate professor of biology. It was the lab opportunities afforded to me and just the comradery and the relationship I formed with my professor that made me stay at BHSU."
Naveen began working in the Center for the Conservation of Biological Resources (CCBR) on campus. She applied for and was granted a research fellowship through the South Dakota Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (SD-BRIN).
For a year, Naveen took classes and worked in the BHSU lab on Dr. Anderson's research project synthesizing new compounds and testing how efficient they were at killing candida, the most common cause of fungal infections. She then started her own project looking at another compound, thymoquinone, and its effectiveness.
At BHSU, Naveen's research is directly applicable to her goal of becoming a doctor.
"Hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are interested in finding compounds that are more effective and safer at killing fungal infections. Just like pathogens can become resistant to antibiotics, candida and fungal strains can become resistant to compounds used to treat them," said Naveen.
This research is especially important for those who have a comprised immune system, such as burn victims, those diagnosed with HIV, or transplant recipients, says Naveen.
Her research experience at BHSU has inspired Naveen to add a genetic component to her medical training. After graduation, Naveen plans to apply to medical school. She'll also enroll in the graduate program in integrative genomics at BHSU in the fall.
"I'll continue on to the next stage of my research at BHSU which is to run the genomic library, sequence the RNA, and see what genes are being expressed in the treatment group versus the control group."
Naveen says the skills she's learned working in the labs at BHSU are in high-demand and that she's been trained well. She appreciates that the material she learned in the classroom was reinforced in many classes by many different professors.
Naveen says BHSU has been the perfect place to complete her pre-med courses, even as a nontraditional-aged student.
"I didn't know if I would fit in but I've met a number of nontraditional students at BHSU. We've formed a bond and support each other," says Naveen. "Having a career and more life experiences, I've made more meaningful relationships with my professors than I did 10 years ago at college. It was more about the grades the first time around, now it's about the learning."
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