Niblack Scholars Day celebrates 20 years of student research investment

Niblack Scholars Day celebrates 20 years of student research investment

Monday, October 7, 2024

Media Contact: Sydney Trainor | Communications and Media Relations Specialist | 405-744-9782 | [email protected]

When Dr. John Niblack founded the Niblack Scholars Program in 2004, he wanted to give students research experience early in their academic careers to help them choose a career path.

Thirteen Niblack Research Scholars presented their findings to Dr. John Niblack and his wife Heidi.

On Friday, 13 researchersconcluded their fellowships as Niblack Research Scholars:

• Ethan Biedenstein, mechanical and aerospace engineering
• Elijah Brown, biochemistry and molecular biology
• Clauddia Dodd, microbiology and molecular genetics
• S. Connor Downs, integrative biology
• Faith Howe, animal and food sciences
• Ella Moffet, nutritional sciences
• Trinity McMahon, physiological sciences
• Ella McReynolds, microbiology and molecular genetics
• Angelique Robinson, nutritional sciences
• Griffyn Stoodley, chemical engineering
• Kayleen Sugianto, integrative biology
• Therese Tankam, physiological sciences
• Feven Tesfaselassie, animal and food sciences

While speaking to the group in the Student Union, Niblack reflected on the opportunities he had as a student - some seized, some missed.

Niblack, an Oklahoma State University alumnus and former vice chairman of Pfizer Inc.,urged the scholars to take a step back from their detailed work and consider the broader picture, emphasizing the value of learning from great thinkers. He recounted a missed opportunity to learn from the esteemed Dr. Carl Woese.

Dr. John and Heidi Niblack

"We're all down so deep into whatever it is that we're doing that is it's good, every once in a while, to step back from the minutiae and take a look at the big picture and how some of the guys worked out some of that big picture," Niblack said.

Woese, a renowned microbiologist, revolutionized evolutionary biology in 1977 by discovering the third domain of life, Archaea, a group of single-cell prokaryotic organisms.

Niblack met Woese briefly as a graduate student at the University of Illinois in 1963. Woese was a new faculty member and Niblack was a new graduate student. Woese was in the department of microbiology, and Niblack was in biochemistry.

"I never paid any attention to him or talked to any of his students," Niblack said. "Somebody told me he was supposed to be brilliant, but I never even asked for him. Of course, later I came to understand very well why he was considered brilliant."

Despite his discoveries, Woese never received the Nobel Prize but was awarded almost every other prestigious award in biology, Niblack said.

"He was the biggest thinker I ever met, and I paid no attention to him," Niblack said. "I made a major mistake in my life by not walking a hundred yards across the campus to the microbiology building and attending any of his lectures or seminars. He was kind and generous with his time, and probably would have changed my life, as many of his students have testified he did with them.

"When you run into a guy like this, try to get with him and listen to his thoughts and listen to the way he talks. These kinds of people will enrich your lives and make you a better scientist."

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