Students in Ms. McDonough’s UPSMR Medical Issues class met with Dr. Nikki Pelot, Research Director at Duke University with a concentration in neural and biomedical engineering to explore health science research and careers with a focus on neural engineers. Our guest speaker, Dr. Pelot, shared career opportunities and resources that students might not have known about along with the educational background and research methods required to begin various career paths in the science field. A variety of current research topics at Duke including species interactions, reproducibility of MRI imaging, computerized imaging, cancer therapy studies with NHI, immune vaccine engineering, dental materials development, epidemiology, and biomechanical advancements using 3D data imaging to treat ACLs and more were shared with students. Resources and strategies in the field were explored including the use of science podcasts, job postings, and informational interviews to investigate research work, find research projects, and build connections with scientists in the future. This is especially important to our UPSMR seniors as they prepare to leave IHHS for post-secondary college and careers preparation. | 
