作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2023年5月5日

阿比盖尔·麦金尼斯小时候就梦想成为一名电影导演。

后来，一位高中老师向她介绍了科学奥林匹克竞赛，在这个竞赛中，学生团队在生物、化学和物理等领域的挑战中相互竞争。 

麦金尼斯在她的第一次比赛中获得了一枚奖牌。 她被迷住了，她的职业道路也发生了转变。

高中毕业后，她在科萨梅斯河学院学习生物学，然后转到博彩平台。 她将于今年春天毕业，获得生物化学和生物科学双学位，GPA达到4.0。

McInnes is the 2023 Dean’s Award recipient for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Deans’ Awards are given annually at Commencement to seven outstanding graduating students, one for each of 囊状态’s academic colleges.

“I really enjoy helping students progress. It’s been so fulfilling.” -- Abigail McInnes, Dean’s Award recipient for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics 

麦金尼斯在埃尔克格罗夫长大，她说，她从来没有感受到要成为一名优等生的外部压力。 这种动力来自内心。

“My parents just wanted us to do our best,” she said. “But I have always worked really hard, and wanted to go for that 100%.”

McInnes在大学期间做过各种各样的工作，除了上课和学习之外，还在化学教授Johannes Bauer的指导下进行本科生研究。

Additionally, she volunteered as a student assistant for an advanced cell biology course, and found time to mentor high school students during their internships in Bauer’s lab.

McInnes的实验室研究重点是衰老过程背后的生物化学，以及各种社会环境对衰老的影响。 她获得了多个研究奖项，并在出版的手稿中被列为作者。

她还参加了校园内的各种俱乐部和组织，包括科学教育公平计划和女性在STEM俱乐部。

麦金尼斯计划攻读博士学位，并可能进行对人类健康有积极影响的研究。

“I love the idea of having a positive impact on people’s health, making discoveries, and developing therapies that can make a difference,” McInnes said.

她也学会了热爱教学。

“I really enjoy helping students progress,” she said. “It’s been so fulfilling.”

麦金尼斯说，她的三个兄弟姐妹中有两个接受了萨克州立大学的教育。 一个已经毕业了，另一个也将在这个月晚些时候和她一起毕业。 她最小的弟弟在上高中。

“My experience at 囊状态 was great,” McInnes said. “Academically, it’s a really good place to be. But it’s also affordable, which was a key thing for me.”

鲍尔说，无论她的职业发展方向如何，麦金尼斯肯定会成功。

“Abigail is the complete package,” he said. “She has a compelling personal story as a first-generation student with little financial support, a strong service and volunteering record, and a superior academic and research record, easily the best I have ever seen.

“Abigail has a bright career ahead of her, and without a doubt will be successful in her chosen field.”