Interest in Wesleyan’s science programs continues to rise as the final stage of construction begins for the new Munroe Science Center, a tangible reminder about building a successful future investment. One recent graduate, Ihunanya Mbata ’06, claims the essence of our successful science programs lies in the focus on the human element.

This summa cum laude graduate earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in biology and chemistry (4.0 GPA). Four years ago, she accepted an academic scholarship and came to Wesleyan, just 16 years old, after graduating from Macon’s Westside High School. Larger institutions recruited Ihunanya, but she recalled “my mom felt that I was too young to go away—a decision I did not appreciate at the time.” Now, she credits her parents for most of her achievements, acknowledging their constant support and guidance.

This fall she heads to Bethesda, Maryland, to accept a one-year research assistantship at the National Institutes of Health. “I will be working in molecular immunology researching autoimmune diseases at the NIH’s national institute of allergy and infectious disease,” she said.

As an honors program graduate, she completed a thesis addressing the effects of all-trans retinoic acid on proliferation in pregnant human myometrial cells, building upon the research of former graduates. She has already presented her research nationally, and in March won the best oral undergraduate presentation in biomedical sciences at the Georgia Academy of Science meeting in Atlanta.

A 2004 summer program in New York hosted by Cornell, Rockefeller, and Sloan-Kettering introduced Ihunanya to research, although she was influenced by her father's research and work as a biology professor on the faculty of Fort Valley State University.

In addition to research this year, Ihunanya will study for the MCAT to gain entrance into medical school. Her future plans include four years of medical school, plus two additional years of research. Then, she said, “I would possibly pursue a humanitarian experience like the Doctors Without Borders program, perhaps someday returning to Nigeria.”