Featured Scholar:
Nick Schindler
2001 - 2002 University Scholar
Mentor: Charles Vierck
College of Medicine
Nick Schindler, a senior majoring in behavioral neurobiology, plans to attend veterinary school after he graduates in May. Working with animals wasn't his initial career goal, though.
"I was a psychology major, and I was more interested in the neuroscience aspects of psychology, so I was already taking more of the neuroscience-based psychology courses," Nick says. "Through an interdisciplinary-studies program, I started doing research with Dr. Vierck, who eventually became my mentor for the USP. Doing research for my USP project in his laboratory was my first exposure to veterinary medicine, and I became really interested in it. I started volunteering at Butler Plaza Animal Hospital and eventually started working there. Now, I'm looking to pursue a career in working with small animals which essentially means cats and dogs."
Even though veterinary medicine was something of a departure from Nick's work with the USP, his mentor was a good source of professional guidance. "He was surprised when I decided to go into veterinary medicine, as I was on a pre-medical school track and he thought I had a good chance of getting into medical school," Nick says. "But he was still very supportive. When I was trying to decide between studying medicine and veterinary medicine he helped me weigh the pros and cons. Veterinary medicine is definitely a change of career path for me. It was not something I had considered before I started doing my USP research."
Although his USP research is not directly related to his new career path, Nick feels that his experience in the program will help him pursue his goals. "Being exposed to the surgical techniques used in my USP research will benefit me in veterinary school. The USP program allowed me to devote more time to research rather than working at jobs unrelated to my field," he says. "I also think the Journal of Undergraduate Research is a great way for students to find out what other people are doing in a variety of areas. Participating in the program exposes you to publishing, and presenting at the symposium should be good practice for things I'll encounter later in my career."
Nick, who grew up in Titusville, Florida, was attracted to the University of Florida for several reasons. "UF is a top-ranking school not only in Florida, but around the country as well. I felt UF had the best facilities of the universities in Florida, as well as having a beautiful campus. In addition to my work with the USP, I've had many positive experiences in college, including participating in the honors program, working with and learning from high-caliber faculty, and using the top-of-the-line facilities of the McKnight Brain Institute," he says. "The institute has some of the best facilities in the world. In our research, we have been able to use some of the most powerful magnetic-resonance imaging tools that exist."
In addition to reading fiction written by authors like Herman Hesse, Michael Crichton and Stephen King, Nick relaxes by spending time with his girlfriend and cat as well as keeping fit. "I entered the Tri-Gator Sprint Triathlon on St. Patrick's Day. It was a 250-meter swim, a four-mile bike ride and then a 1 1/2 mile run. I ride my bike fairly frequently, so the hardest part for me was the swimming," he says. "I did pretty well. I wasn't expecting to be in the top ten or anything, and I hadn't been training specifically for it, but I came in with a time of 39 minutes, and I'm pretty happy with that." Nick ran cross-country and track in high school and runs a four-mile route a couple of times a week.
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