(UNMC Press Release September 1, 2021)

Ten undergraduate students from five Nebraska colleges and universities recently received the 2021 Richard Holland Future Scientist Award from the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. 

The students received cash awards totaling $5,000 during the virtual INBRE (Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence Program) conference held Aug. 9-10. 
 
The awards are named in honor of the late Richard Holland, an Omaha philanthropist and longtime supporter of research. This is the 13th year the Holland Future Scientist Awards have been given, which was delayed a year due to the pandemic. 
 
The students listed below were judged for their oral presentations of the research work they conducted this summer as part of the INBRE program. 
 
The INBRE program is overseen by Paul Sorgen, Ph.D., a professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Sorgen is the principal investigator of the $16.2 million grant funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. 
 
Established in 2001, the INBRE Scholars program was created to expose students to serious biomedical research and build a statewide biomedical research infrastructure between undergraduate and graduate institutions. 
 
The students, referred to as INBRE scholars, enter the program after completing their sophomore year of college upon recommendation of their college professors. It is a two-year comprehensive training program to prepare the students for graduate school. 
 
The award winners are listed below: 
 
2021 INBRE Scholars 

1st place – Erin Hebert, Creighton University 

2nd place – Jessica Lemke, Creighton University 

3rd place – Jordan Rasmussen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

Honorable Mention – Faith Kozisek, College of Saint Mary 

Honorable Mention – Braydon Dreher, University of Nebraska at Omaha 

2020 INBRE Scholars 

1st place – Keely Orndorff, Creighton University 

2nd place – Sarah Alsuleiman, University of Nebraska at Omaha 

3rd place – George Varghese, Creighton University 

Honorable Mention – Samantha Mercer, University of Nebraska at Kearney 

Honorable Mention – Phoebe Pena, University of Nebraska-Lincoln