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Beta Kappa Chi encourages students

The Beta Kappa Chi, National Scientific Honor Society of Grambling State University hosted its first Graduate and Medical School Seminar, March 15. This seminar was an effort to raise the interest of minorities in the genomic sciences, and to expose students to exciting career opportunities available.The seminar preceeded with a few inspirational remarks from Dr. Frank Pogue, GSU president. He reminded students that like most HBCUs, this institution of excellence was founded to provide quality education for all individuals who want to learn and that we are academic superstars.

He also indicated that academic excellence does not propel to arrogance, but that students should focus on moving forward together, supporting each other, the institution and seeking academic excellence.
Dr. Debra Murray, director of Education and Minority Diversity Programs in Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC) at Baylor College of Medicine, the speaker, was pinned by Dr. Frank Pogue which made her a part of the GSU family.

Murray praised students about the Human Genome Project, which came about in 1990 and involves sequencing all DNA. She pinpointed the development of technology, which will make it affordable for an individual to be sequenced.

Students were educated on the career areas in genome sciences that entailed medicine, agriculture and wildlife, law and justice, computational biology, history and anthropology, engineering, business and military.

Murray focused on the graduate and medical school requirements. Graduate school requirements allowed for having high GPA and GRE scores, references, interview, essays, research, extra-curricular, other life experiences, transcript and academic progression.

Medical school requirements included having high GPA and MCAT scores, references, interview, essay, extracurricular, volunteering, research, health-related and other life experiences, transcript and academic progression.

Murray recommended that students network and have leadership skills. She advised students that getting accepted to graduate and medical school is a competition and that they should know about the schools they desire to apply.

Beta Kappa Chi strives to encourage and advance scientific education through original investigation, the dissemination of scientific knowledge and stimulation of scholarship in pure and applied science. The president, Johnathan Andrus pointed out future plans of the organization which comprise having more successful programs such as medical and graduate seminars, hosting a science fair for Grambling Middle School and membership drive.

Andrus expressed that ‘The seminar was a great success and would like to extend a thank you to Dr. Pogue, and Dr. Murray, Baylor College of Medicine.’

Students showed every sign of being impressed and influenced as the informational session enlighten them on the various aspects of medical and graduate school and the cutting edge of genomics research. Tawana Sifflet, Freshman, Biology major, expressed that ‘The seminar was very inspiring, especially for students interested in Biology or Medicine.’