Three University of Iowa undergraduate students–Dustin Fykstra, Spenser Pfannenstiel, and Hanxi Tang–have won the 2020 Iowa Neuroscience Institute Summer Scholar Awards.
The INI Summer Scholar Program supports Iowa undergraduates planning to pursue research during the summer in the lab of an INI faculty member. As INI Summer Scholars, the students receive a stipend of $5,000 and have the opportunity to attend a summer undergraduate seminar series and a variety of informal events. The INI Summer Scholar application process is highly competitive, and Fykstra, Pfannenstiel, and Tang stood out for the quality of their research plan, mentor endorsement, and academic performance.
Fykstra, from Boyden, Iowa, is a junior majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a pre-med interest. He is also a Scholar in the Iowa Biosciences Academy program. Pfannenstiel is a junior from Davenport, Iowa, and is majoring in Neuroscience with a pre-med interest. Tang, originally from Beijing, China, is a junior majoring in Biology (Cell and Developmental Track) with a pre-med interest.