石榴直播

KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 17, 2020

Working long days and sometimes overnight shifts, three Kennesaw State alums鈥攁ll of whom received their inspiration and training in the lab of associate professor of Scott J. Nowak 鈥� have a critical task during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rebekah Henneborn and Mary Katherine Grimes graduated in May with degrees in biology. Kristina Palermino-Rowland earned a bachelor鈥檚 in biology in 2016 and a master鈥檚 in integrative biology two years later. The three recently started working at Ipsum Diagnostics in Sandy Springs, an anatomical and clinical pathology laboratory that has an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to produce tests for the novel coronavirus.

The emergency use authorization expanded Ipsum鈥檚 testing capacity from 1,000 to 4,000 tests a day, with a turnaround of 24 hours. That meant the lab鈥檚 staff expanded as well.

Enter the 石榴直播 trio. Grimes and Henneborn hired in early April while Palermino-Rowland worked in academia and at another lab before joining the team at Ipsum.

Ipsum Diagnostics co-founder Lauren Bricks said the three have brought strong work ethics and deep knowledge to the lab, and touted their efforts as critical to Ipsum鈥檚 success in coronavirus testing

鈥淜ristina, our molecular supervisor, has worked on important projects to improve efficiency and capacity by implementing automation and technologies to centralize the COVID-19 workflow. Mary Katherine and Rebekah have consistently demonstrated the ability to adapt, which is paramount to overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 testing,鈥� Bricks said.

鈥淐urrently, there are roughly 160 laboratories performing COVID-19 testing and only 12 have been granted FDA authorization. Ipsum is proud to be in this distinct group. We have remarkable employees, and are so grateful to have Kristina, Mary Katherine and Rebekah on our team.鈥�

Grimes said she was excited to get a job so soon after finishing her studies, especially one that engaged her best-learned skills.

鈥淚 feel especially fortunate for the opportunity to work in my field during a time when work for many people is unpredictable,鈥� she said. 鈥淗owever, I never would have imagined that my graduation day would be spent in a COVID-19 diagnostic lab. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, I am grateful for the opportunity Ipsum Diagnostics has given me.鈥�

Henneborn credited her (S-STEM) advisor, associate professor of biology Jennifer Louten, for directing her to Nowak鈥檚 lab, where she gained not only the work experience that makes her a valuable member of the Ipsum team but the confidence to pursue a career in science. Henneborn also said Louten inspired a critical change in academic direction.

鈥淪he helped me realize that if I put in the work that my future in science could be fulfilling,鈥� said Henneborn, who benefited from a National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics grant for technical school transfer students. 鈥淪he pushed me to think bigger and broaden my goals. I started out majoring in biochemistry but found cellular and molecular biology was a better fit, so I changed majors.鈥�

Palermino-Rowland also came through the S-STEM program after having earned an associate degree. She continued in 石榴直播鈥檚 program, all the while working in Nowak鈥檚 lab. She credited her experiences with helping her to become a top-notch scientist and leader; Bricks credited Palermino-Rowland with scaling up testing by working with laboratory leadership and other technologists to validate new equipment, automate and centralize the workflow, and help develop solutions for the numerous obstacles caused by the pandemic.  

鈥淔irst and foremost, the projects that I took on during my master's degree helped me become a well-rounded scientist,鈥� she said. 鈥淪cience isn鈥檛 always perfect. It takes strong critical thinking skills to determine where something went wrong in the testing process and how to overcome the problem. The structure of the MSIB program also provided me with the skills necessary to effectively communicate with all members within an organization to reach a common goal.鈥�

All three say they plan to stay in science in one form or another. Grimes has set a path to medical school, while Henneborn sees a master鈥檚 and a doctorate in her future. Palermino-Rowland hopes to move into management at a lab.

For his part, Nowak is not surprised by their success.

鈥淜ristina, Mary Katherine and Rebekah have all been absolute rock stars in my laboratory, and I couldn鈥檛 be prouder of their current work,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really excelling in a critical field.鈥�

鈥� David Shelles

Submitted photos

---

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 石榴直播 offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.