{"id":290114,"date":"2026-07-08T10:52:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/290114\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T10:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:52:21","slug":"international-scholar-shares-her-experience-studying-in-reno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/290114\/","title":{"rendered":"International scholar shares her experience studying in Reno"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shannen McDermott, a biomedical undergraduate student\u00a0participating\u00a0in the University of Nevada, Reno\u2019s\u00a0International Undergraduate Research Program (IURP)<\/a>, shares her experience traveling to Northern Nevada and embracing new academic and professional opportunities. Originally from Ireland, McDermott has made the most of her time at the University with support from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med), engaging in meaningful biomedical research while exploring\u00a0a new environment.<\/p>\n

\"Shannen<\/p>\n

The IURP program offers undergraduate students from the Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland and the University of Manchester, England, the opportunity to engage in hands-on biomedical research, receive mentorship from faculty and gain exposure to diverse academic and cultural environments. Since 1991, the program has collaborated with talented international students to produce high-quality research, with many participants going on to earn doctoral degrees from leading universities around the world. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Through these experiences, students expand their skills, build meaningful professional connections and gain valuable insight into their chosen fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From impactful research to opportunities for travel and personal growth, McDermott\u2019s experience reflects the many ways IURP supports students in making their time at the University both productive and memorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned about the opportunity to come to Reno and study under the International Undergraduate Placement Program and knew I wanted to give it a try,\u201d McDermott said. \u201cI can\u2019t emphasize enough how grateful I am to have these opportunities and how lucky I feel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the opportunities she is most grateful for is attending a conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she presented her preliminary data from research she has been conducting with Dr. Burkin, chair of Physiology and Cell Biology, and Dr. Grainger, professor at UNR Med and program co-director. Being part of impactful research and publishing, \u201cA molecular makeover of Laminin-\u03b14 with linker proteins to mimic the function of Laminin-\u03b12 for the treatment of LAMA2-CMD<\/a>,\u201d is something McDermott never expected this early in her career. With the IURP, McDermott both enhanced her professional resume and her learning experience as an undergraduate in biomedical sciences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although McDermott misses Ireland, she is thankful for the support system she has at UNR Med. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe IURP set up has brought so many people from home back to Reno where they have settled and being able to have people to talk about local things from Ireland in a familiar accent makes such a difference,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Ward started the IURP program\u00a0and also\u00a0originated from Queen\u2019s University in Belfast.\u00a0For McDermott, that connection made the leap from rural Ireland to Northern Nevada feel less daunting and more like stepping into a community already built on shared experience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As leadership of the IURP transitions to Nathan Grainger, Ph.D., and Caroline Cobine, Ph.D., the program continues to build on its legacy of fostering undergraduate research and mentorship. Cobine and Grainger’s connection to the program is especially meaningful \u2014 they participated in the IURP as undergraduates before joining the UNR Med faculty, bringing a firsthand perspective to guiding the next generation of researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McDermott is currently working alongside Dr. Burkin and Dr. Grainger on research examining the relationship between congenital muscular dystrophy and cardiac arrhythmias, specifically investigating how the disease may affect the sinoatrial node, the heart\u2019s natural pacemaker. The project combines\u00a0expertise\u00a0across disciplines and gives McDermott the opportunity to contribute to research that could help close important gaps in understanding how muscular dystrophy impacts heart function.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be a part of something new is really inspiring,\u201d McDermott said. \u201cTo think the work that I am a part of may be used for future research by people across the country, and\u00a0maybe even\u00a0the world, is a feeling of excitement I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0put into words. It really fuels my ambition for the future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The experience has also strengthened her confidence as she prepares to return to Queen\u2019s University for her final year. Through hands-on lab training, collaboration with experienced researchers and exposure to the day-to-day of biomedical science, McDermott says she now feels more prepared to tackle her dissertation project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outside of the laboratory, McDermott has embraced every opportunity to experience life in the United States. The balance between rigorous academic work and opportunities for travel\u00a0and personal growth is what makes the IURP such a transformative experience for many students like McDermott.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As her time in Reno is soon concluding, McDermott hopes the work she has contributed and the relationships she has built will leave a lasting impact. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to leave Reno feeling like I handled everything that came my way and said yes to every opportunity,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For students considering the program, her advice is simple: take the chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t put yourself out there and try, you\u2019ll never know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through her dedication to research and enthusiasm for discovery, McDermott embodies the IURP\u2019s mission \u2014 scientific collaboration and expansive student experiences at an international level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shannen McDermott, a biomedical undergraduate student\u00a0participating\u00a0in the University of Nevada, Reno\u2019s\u00a0International Undergraduate Research Program (IURP), shares her experience…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-290114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}