Abigail “Abby” Howard ’24 is well on her way of realizing her dream of becoming an optometrist. This fall, she’ll attend the Doctor of Optometry program at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Worcester, Massachusetts.
A biology major with a minor in chemistry, Abby says the best part of UHart’s biology program is the faculty. “They are always willing to help and want you to succeed,” she says. “They take the time to get to know their students on a personal level and provide us with research and teaching assistant opportunities.”
Abby has taken advantage of those opportunities to do research with both biology and chemistry faculty. She completed ecological research with Biology Professor and Department Chair Bin Zhu, on whether macroinvertebrates were affecting the water quality of the Park River which runs through campus. “Macroinvertebrates are used as indicators of water quality because they live their entire lives in the water, are simple to capture, and have different levels of pollution tolerance,” she explains.
She also did a biochemistry research project with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Elizabeth Rastede and two other biology students, to determine the function of unknown proteins. During this research, each student was given an unknown protein and used both bioinformatics tools and wet laboratory techniques to determine the function.
Abby says she truly enjoyed her microbiology course with Associate Professor of Biology Adam Silver and says, “I was able to do my non-thesis paper on bacterial eye infections which gave me a chance to learn more about the eye before starting optometry school in the fall.”
In addition, Abby says Assistant Professor of Biology Laura Enzor also had a positive impact on her UHart experience. “On top of being an amazing professor and advisor, Dr. Enzor has always told me she believed in me and has helped me throughout my UHart journey.”
Abby admits that being a biology major is both challenging and rewarding and encourages first-year biology students to work hard, find good study habits, and don’t hesitate to go to professors for help. “The professors will know your name and as long as you take the opportunity to seek help from them, you will be successful.”
She also advises students to get involved on campus which will make the college experience more enjoyable. Abby is currently a Resident Assistant, serves as vice president of the Chemistry Club, and is enrolled in the Honors program. She previously was vice president of the Residence Hall Association, a member of the Residential Life Programming Committee, and worked as a tutor. “My favorite thing about UHart is how easy it is to build relationships with your professors along with how easy it is to get involved on campus,” she says.
Abigail Howard ‘24, College of Arts and SciencesI was able to do my non-thesis paper on bacterial eye infections which gave me a chance to learn more about the eye before starting optometry school in the fall.