Biological Sciences Blog

Student Stories: Kate Meister, Human Biology Major, Future Physician’s Assistant

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Kate Meister sees her best path to becoming a Physician’s Assistant through the Biology department. She is a senior studying Human Biology. One of the degree requirements is to complete a capstone. She chose to do an undergraduate teaching experience with Travis Wakeham. Kate is passionate about biology and education, so she and Travis are also collaborating with Steve Elmer (KIP) and others across Michigan and Indiana to bring back PhUn (Physiology Understanding) Week. Kate also loves to play basketball. We had a chance to learn more about Kate and her experiences at Michigan Tech.

Lighthouse on the water with a sunset background
Kate’s favorite lighthouse at Breakers Beach

Why did you choose to major in Human Biology?

My major is Human Biology and I have a minor in Pre-Health Professions. I chose this major as it complements my plans to become a PA. The courses and experiences that I have been lucky enough to be a part of prepare me everyday to become a Physician’s Assistant. 

Why did you choose to study Human Biology at Michigan Tech?

I chose to study at Michigan Tech because of the tight-knit community, second-to-none education, the culture of the MTU women’s basketball program, and the pure location. This community is so supportive and proud of the university and of the women’s basketball program. The curriculum, especially in human biology, pushes you to become the best student you can be. The MTU women’s basketball program is a winning program historically, and the culture is so strong. Houghton is an organic area, and I have loved getting to know the UP in my time up here. 

What do you love about Michigan Tech?

I love the support I feel at Michigan Tech. I feel so supported by the faculty and classmates, in the classroom and out of the classroom. Our professors know how to push us as students, but they also care about us as humans rather than just students. 

Why did you choose to participate in women’s basketball?

Women's basketball team jumping and hugging on the court
Kate and team celebrate a victory against Grand Valley State

I chose to participate in basketball because it has always been a dream of mine to play collegiately. I love the sport and the relationships that I have made with teammates, coaches, staff within the athletic department, and community members. 

How does basketball round out your educational experience?

Being a member of the MTU women’s basketball team means that we not only push ourselves to become better at our game, but to become the best version of ourselves off of the court as well. Our organization is heavy on giving back, whether that is through volunteer opportunities that we take on as a team or through inspiring the next generation of huskies through our kids camps. 

What did you enjoy most about being involved in basketball?

I enjoy the relationships that I have made the most when it comes to picking my favorite part of basketball. I have met some of the most amazing people through basketball, and I have made lifelong friends. Being a student-athlete at Michigan Tech is not always easy, but having best friends that go through it all with you makes it much easier and so memorable. 

Kate and friends sitting by a campfire during sunset
Kate and friends enjoying a campfire at Breakers

What advice would you give to undergraduates looking to get involved in student organizations?

One piece of advice that I would give others that consider joining a student organization is to look at every opportunity as an experience, or as a chance to learn something or someone new. Being a part of an organization means a community of people that have similar goals, motives, and passions as you do, and that feeling is so inclusive. 

Do you think playing basketball helps you with your major of human biology?

Learning more about the human body through my degree has helped develop me into a better athlete. Understanding the body on a molecular, cellular, anatomical, and physiological level has given me a deeper understanding of my overall body and athletic performance. 

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Outstanding Scholarship Award: Catherine Rono

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Catherine Rono
Catherine Rono

Congratulations to Catherine Rono, graduate student in Biological Sciences, for the Outstanding Scholarship Award recognizing her academic performance! Catherine is working towards her PhD in Biological Sciences.

Exceptional graduate students may be nominated by their program or department for the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship in the year of their graduation. Nominees will have demonstrated academic or professional qualities that set them apart within their academic program. Nominations are made each fall and spring semester.

From Catherine: I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Joshi, Dr. Huckins, Ms. Tori and the entire Biological Sciences Department for this recognition and nomination to receive the award. Thank you so much Dr. Mark for your constant support and guidance. Thank you for challenging me to get out of my comfort zone and be better. 

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Outstanding Scholarship Award: Laura Schaerer

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Laura Schaerer

Congratulations to Laura Schaerer, a graduate student in Biological Sciences, for her Outstanding Scholarship Award recognizing her academic performance! Laura is working towards her PhD in Biological Sciences.

Exceptional graduate students may be nominated by their program or department for the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship in the year of their graduation. Nominees will have demonstrated academic or professional qualities that set them apart within their academic program. Nominations are made each fall and spring semester.

From Laura: Thank you to the Biology department for their nomination, this is a very happy surprise!

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Biological Sciences Faculty Members Receive Exceptional Fall 2022 Student Evaluation Scores

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Heartiest congratulations to 12 instructors (that’s 17% of all instructors awarded) from the Biological Sciences Department who have been identified as some of the only 70 campus-wide instructors who received exceptional “Average of Seven dimensions” student evaluation scores during the Fall 2022 semester. Only 91 sections university-wide (out of more than 1,379 evaluated) were rated so highly by the students. Their scores were in the top 10% of similarly sized sections university-wide, with at least a 50% response rate and a minimum of five responses.

The following faculty, staff, and graduate students received the recognition.

  • Dr. Amy Marcarelli, Professor (Nominated for the MTU teaching award, 2018, 2020, and 2022)
  • Ms. Brigitte Morin, MS, Associate Teaching Professor (Winner of MTU teaching award in 2018)
  • Dr. Thomas Werner, Associate Professor (Winner of MTU teaching award in 2013, 2019, and MASU professor of the year, 2021)
  • Dr. Jill Olin, Assistant Professor
  • Ms. Claire Danielson, MS, MLS Program Director, and Assistant Teaching Professor (Nominated for the MTU teaching award, 2022)
  • Ms. Sarah LewAllen, MS, MLS Program Coordinator
  • Ms. Jenna Disser, MS Graduate Student
  • Mr. Karl Schneider, Ph.D. Graduate Student
  • Ms. Michelle Kelly, Ph.D. Graduate Student
  • Mr. Isaac Lennox, MS Graduate student, KIP
  • Mrs. Nicole Roeper, MS, Director, Pre-Health Professions, and Instructor
  • Mr. John Romanowski, MS, Lab Supervisor, Biological Sciences

Interim Provost Dr. Andrew Storer recently congratulated them for their outstanding accomplishments in teaching.  

We are very proud of these achievements, and we thank them and you all for fulfilling the educational mission of our university!

The departmental student rating average for Fall 2022 was 4.47 out of 5. Since 2013, our faculty, staff, and students have been in this top 10% of teachers list 152 times.

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Three Biological Sciences professors are Nominated for the 2023 Michigan Tech Distinguished Teaching Award

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Amy Marcarelli
Amy Marcarelli
Claire Danielson
Claire Danielson

We are pleased to announce three finalists for the 2023 Michigan Tech Distinguished Teaching Award. Congratulations go out to:

Robert Larson
Robert Larson

Professor Amy Marcarelli is nominated for the Associate Professor/Professor category. This is Amy’s fourth nomination. 

Teaching Assistant Professor Claire Danielson is nominated for the Assistant Professor/Teaching Professor/Professor of Practice category. This is Claire’s second nomination. 

Assistant Professor Robert Larson, is nominated for the Assistant Professor/Teaching Professor/Professor of Practice category. This is Rob’s first nomination. 

These three join prior Biological Sciences department Distinguished Teaching Award winners in the recent past: Dr. Thomas Werner (2013 and 2019), Ms. Karyn Fay (2016), and Ms. Brigitte Morin (2018). Dr. Thomas Werner also won the Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year award in 2021. 

The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes outstanding contributions to Michigan Tech’s instructional mission.

To whittle the finalists to a single winner, The William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is seeking input on the finalists for its annual Distinguished Teaching Awards. Based on more than 40,000 student ratings of instruction responses, ten finalists have been identified for the 2023 awards. The selection committee solicits comments from students, staff, faculty, and alumni to be referenced during their deliberations.

Comments for the finalists are due by March 31 and can be submitted online.

The process for determining the Distinguished Teaching Award recipients from this list of finalists also involves the additional surveying of their spring 2023 classes. The selection committee makes the final determination of the award recipients. The 2023 Distinguished Teaching Awards will be formally announced in May.

For more information, contact the CTL at ctl@mtu.edu or 906-487-3000.

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Biological Sciences Major Melia Austin Takes on Costa Rica During Her Study Abroad Trip

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Biological sciences major and study abroad participant Melia Austin enjoys the view in Costa Rica


Melia Austin immerses herself in her learning. One example: is a trip to Costa Rica during the summer of 2022 with fellow Michigan Tech students interested in sustainability. Building on what they learned at Michigan Tech, they observed what Costa Rica has done to become more sustainable in terms of environment, ecology, water treatment, and more. Plus, Melia immersed herself in the Costa Rican community, where she practiced her Spanish and earned credits toward her minor in Spanish.

Melia said, “I wanted to use what I’ve learned in my Spanish classes to grow in my understanding of the world, and learn about sustainability inside and outside of the classroom.” Day trips around Costa Rica greatly enhanced her learning.

Immersed in Sustainability

A Quetzal bird.
Quetzal bird sits on a branch in the sustainable rainforest in Costa Rica

The day trips brought sustainability to life. A visit to a natural hot spring showed how Costa Ricans benefit from this sustainable form of energy. They also hiked through a sustainable forest where they saw a quetzal. This is a rare bird found in Costa Rica. Sustainable forests give species like the quetzal places to thrive. The forest was not only environmentally sustainable, but also socially, and economically sustainable. As a result, Costa Rica is able to identify and manage the impacts of businesses and people on the environment and adjust accordingly to be sustainable. She noted that the rainforest and its management met the criteria of the three pillars of sustainability that they learned about in their classes.

There were lots Melia enjoyed during her time in Costa Rica. Melia’s favorite thing was “attending a conference about sustainability with graduate students and professors from different universities.” She was able to diversify her learning about sustainability by connecting with others from different universities. This enhanced her experience as she immersed herself in new opportunities to learn about sustainability.

Melia saw many natural wonders in Costa Rica, like this hot spring.

Study Abroad Takeaways From Melia

When asked what advice she would give to students considering studying abroad she said, “You are at a unique point in your life where you have the freedom and autonomy to travel and learn new things that might change how you see the world. It might even change your future plans.” In Costa Rica, she learned to be independent and travel independently. She is applying those learnings in a gap year in Senegal where she volunteers on a hospital ship. Immersing herself in Senegalese culture and the hospital environment, her goal is to gauge her interest in a career in medicine.

Michigan Tech Students Get a Biology-Centric Study Away Experience in 2023

Students at Michigan Tech can study abroad in a similar, biology-centric program. Casey Huckins, PhD and Professor of Biological Sciences leads students on a trip to the Bahamas each spring break. Students learn about the biology and ecology of tropical island plant and animal communities in marine and terrestrial systems. The program covers the geological history, human history, and climate of these fragile tropical ecosystems. Students collect data and experience the nature, dynamics, and beauty of these island ecosystems. They’re surrounded by incredible biodiversity while gaining perspective from being in another country.

This post originally appeared in Michigan Technological University’s Social Sciences Newsblog. Itis authored by Nicholas Pate, a student in the College of Business.

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Q&A with Medical Technologist Peyton Gast ’20, MLS

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Medical Technologist Peyton Gast graduated with a BS in Medical Lab Science from Michigan Tech. She works for Marshfield Clinic Health Systems in Transfusion Service. We caught up with Peyton recently.

Medical technologist Payton Gast holds blood sample
Preparing platelets for transfusion

MTU: What are you doing now?

Peyton: I work in the Transfusion Service department of the lab. This is a unique department because we are not only a testing service for patient samples, but we also provide the hospital with a variety of blood products – red blood cells, plasma, platelets, etc. When you donate blood, it comes to labs like ours, and we make sure the right units go to the right patients. Depending on the patient, finding compatible blood products can range from a very easy to a rather difficult process. This process is always a little easier when you have a large blood supply – which we do not have right now. That’s why it’s so important to get out there and donate!

How did you end up becoming a Medical Technologist?

Peyton: I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field, but I was wary of having a patient-facing career. When I came to MTU and discovered medical lab science, I loved that it was a behind-the-scenes role with a direct, significant impact on patient care. When I did my clinicals at the Marshfield Clinic, I learned that their Transfusion Service was the perfect department for me – it requires extreme attention to detail, and I get to do a lot of critical thinking and advanced manual techniques – which is the fun part! I also like that I get to take part in the stem cell processing program, and I can teach what I’ve learned to new MLS students every year.

Medical technologist Payton Gast
Reading agglutination reactions to ensure a safe transfusion

How did your degree and course of study at Michigan Tech prepare you for success as a Medical Technologist?

Peyton: Michigan Tech provides relevant and hands-on experience which made me feel very prepared for my clinicals. I had the opportunity to work with samples regularly seen in the lab, as well as examples of more complex disease states – especially in microbiology and hematology! I apply the techniques I learned at MTU to my job every day, and I have more confidence in my career knowing that I have a well-rounded education.

What did you enjoy the most about your Michigan Tech experience?

Peyton: The best part of my education experience at MTU was the opportunity to work so closely with instructors. They were always eager to meet and discuss classroom topics so that we can all better understand the material – no matter the class size.

Medical Lab Science student Payton Gast
Managing inventory in the blood bank

What advice do you have for Tech students today who wish to pursue a similar career?

Peyton: I would tell any new students interested in lab science that a degree in MLS can take you in many directions. This career can be as specific or as broad as you want it to be, so take advantage of electives and use it as an opportunity to find what you’re most interested in. I would encourage students to push this career as far as it can go – whether it’s getting a specialty in your department, going into management, teaching, or being the best generalist out there – MTU will prepare you to do it!

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