There’s “making the most of your college years” and then there’s Gwen Beacham. When the Farmington native wasn’t dancing or hiking to charge her batteries, she was digging deep into genetic research, earning numerous awards, honors and fellowships, traveling in- and out-of-country for community projects and generally earning her status as the 2015 valedictorian at the University of Maine, Orono. (Want more, go to tinyurl.com/gwenbeacham.) She’ll soon be off to Cornell University and a Ph.d, but not before she answers some questions.

You obviously love the sciences. What has motivated you toward this field? Before college, I was always very interested in many different subjects and I honestly can barely remember what initially made me decide to study science. However, once I got to UMaine and began classes, I realized that I loved scientific research. My freshman year, I took a course called phage genomics that is part of a national program sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. (A phage is a virus that infects bacteria.) This course is a way that freshman can begin doing research their very first year of college. I had never done any science research before this course, and it made me realize how much I enjoy not only doing procedures in lab but also the whole process of scientific research. After finishing the year, I still had unanswered questions about one of the phage with which we were working. I was able to continue working on an independent research project about this phage my sophomore year and have been working on it ever since. It is now the subject of my honors thesis. My experience that first year also inspired me to apply for summer research internships. I spent the summer after my freshman year at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory studying sea urchin embryonic development and then the summer after my sophomore year at the Boyce Thompson Institute of Plant Research working on an algae biofuel project. I spent the summer after my junior year at UMaine working on my phage research. Research has been a huge part of my undergraduate experience and each research project I get to work on makes me more and more excited about my future career in science.

So far, what experience have you had that has stood out as being the most enjoyable or rewarding? During spring break my sophomore year, I travelled to Dulce Vivir, a small community in Honduras, for the final implementation of the UMaine Engineers Without Borders student chapter’s sewer system project. Even though I had always heard about the living conditions in developing countries, it was hard to understand how accurate these descriptions were until I saw them for myself. However, despite the fact that the people of Dulce Vivir live in poverty, they are such happy, friendly and welcoming people. I feel so lucky to have been able to meet them and work with them on a project that they cared about and felt would help their community. My trip made me think carefully about the things I am so lucky to have that I want to make sure I never take for granted (i.e. clean running water, warm showers, sanitary toilets, etc.).

Do you dream about things you hope to accomplish with your work in the future? It’s hard to predict what will happen during a scientific career. Some successes in science happen by chance, or even through what was considered to be an accident! I am excited though to have a research project of my own that can be something on which I build a career. I would also like to be a professor. I feel so thankful for all of the undergraduate research experiences I’ve had these past four years that have allowed me to gain many valuable critical thinking skills and have made me realize how passionate I am for science. I’d like to be able to give future science undergraduates these same kinds of opportunities and know I could work toward this by being a professor.

The press release from the University of Maine on your role as the 2015 valedictorian says you hope to ultimately contribute to science policy. Can you give us an idea of what that looks like? The field of science policy includes topics related to communicating science, using science to help make policy decisions, and making decisions about scientific research funding, among others. It seems as if the importance of doing science research is often not communicated well to the general public, so many science policy makers work to improve this communication. Some people who are involved in science policy work for legislators and others work from national scientific societies, such as the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Legislators often consult members of science policy committees in these societies if making a decision about a new policy requires a scientific background. I’m not sure yet what part of science policy most interests me, but I like the idea that I could use my science background to impact areas of society outside of research and also to improve science communication to make the information more accessible to a larger number of people.

From your perspective, what do you think are the most pressing problems facing the world and humanity? I am very interested in nutrition. I believe that a large issue in today’s society is that the importance of eating well and taking care of one’s own body is often not given top priority.

Among the teachers you’ve had is there one or two who have particularly inspired you? I have been lucky to have many wonderful professors and mentors at UMaine. However, without a doubt my most influential mentors have been Dr. Sally Molloy and Dr. Keith Hutchison. I met both of them on my first day of college because they both are involved in the UMaine phage genomics course. Sophomore year I began working on my own independent project with both Keith and Sally as my mentors and I’ve been working on this project ever since with Sally as my honors thesis advisor. Both the phage genomics class and beginning to do research in a lab in general were very humbling experiences for me — learning how to work in a lab is really difficult, and it was unlike anything I’d done before coming to college. However, the constant encouragement from Keith and Sally made me actually enjoy challenges and they have taught me that being challenged and making mistakes along the way are both part of the learning process.

What do you do for fun, to recharge your personal batteries — or does science keep them charged? Outside of science, I enjoy running and exercising in general. I also have danced ever since I was 7, and in college have participated in dance clubs and have taken ballet classes. I really enjoy hiking and being outside as well. A lot of my time at UMaine outside of academics has been spent being involved in clubs and organizations. For just a few examples: I’m involved in the UMaine Honor and Traditions Society All Maine Women. We do a lot of campus-based and community service projects. I also have been involved with Alternative Breaks and spent a week of my spring break volunteering at a day care in Philadelphia that is for children with special medical needs. I also have been involved in Engineers Without Borders all four years of college.

It looks like your studies and career pursuits will take you farther away from Farmington and Maine, at least for a while. Do you see yourself returning to work here? I would definitely like to return to work in Maine. Maine is a beautiful state and there are many job opportunities here for scientists. I also feel that so many people and Maine organizations have supported me and given me wonderful opportunities. I would like to give back to all those people by returning to work in Maine.