Reno Reporter

Alexis Palma's educational career at the University of Nevada, Reno, took a turn for the better when he stepped inside assistant professor of chemistry Christopher Barile's laboratory and found a fascination with dynamic windows.

Spurred on by this fascination, Palma went from knowing next to nothing regarding undergraduate research to earning a spot in the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, UNR reported on its site.

"[Research in the lab] changed the trajectory of what I wanted to do after college," Palma, a biotechnology student in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources, told UNR. "When I was a freshman, I was thinking I can be the first person in my family to get a degree, but then I felt like 'oh man, I actually really enjoy research, maybe I can go on and get an even higher degree.'"

Palma saw an advertisement by the chemistry building for the McNair Scholars Program, where undergraduate students from numerous overlooked groups are prepared for doctorate studies via research activities and scholarly pursuits, UNR reported. He submitted an application and joined the program.

"It's a community essentially," he said. "It's the first time I've ever been surrounded by people who are like-minded and have a similar background, because most of the time you're not around people who can understand what it's like to be a first-generation or underrepresented student."