Making Moves in Microbiology

Finding Fulfillment Through Research

by Hannah Smith

Madeline Broghammer stands with her hands confined in a box; latex covering them, a lab coat draping down her waist. It’s critical she doesn’t break the confines of the sterile environment as she infects cells with HIV — a disease that has devastated lives for decades. 

On one table lays her MacBook with data analysis and readings to better understand her own research. Her biosafety cabinet where she infects cells with HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is nearby. Fluorescent light reflects off the glass of the box where she performs her tests. 

Broghammer, a junior at the University of Iowa (UI) and a lab research assistant, is a key contributor in Dr. Hillel Haim’s lab that attempts to better understand HIV, which can lead to the deadly virus known as AIDS.  

Broghammer is so fluent in the language used to describe the specifics of her research and major that much of the information she gives requires an extra step of decoding. To her, though, this information is second-nature, fueled by her devotion in furthering this research.

Morning, noon, and night, she is in the lab. Given her role as an honors microbiology student and a teaching assistant in a general microbiology lab course, Broghammer seemed oddly calm talking about this intensive workload. 

Sipping on a peanut butter, banana, and berry smoothie with her legs curled up into herself on the couch, it was only 8 p.m., yet Broghammer seemed content with the work she had completed for the day so far. When I asked her how it was possible she was able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) with such a high workload, her answer was simple. 

“I don’t have any special strategies,” Broghammer said. “I do my stuff.”

This is a simple yet profound truth. Broghammer puts her full energy into what she does during the day so that she has time to rest and recover at night. Oftentimes, her phone will be on Do Not Disturb. It is often hours before she texts someone back. 

This type of discipline is hard to come by but easy to achieve when your work is something you love. 

“I like what I’m doing,” Broghammer said, “I’m so far into my major that it’s all stuff I like.”

One professor at the UI who made Broghammer confident in her choice of major is Dr. Regina McGrane. McGrane, a microbiology and immunology professor, is one of Broghammer’s biggest influences. 

“That's why you do the job, right?” McGrane said. “I love microbiology, and I love talking about it, but knowing that students' paths are impacted by what they learn in my class, that's the big ‘why’ for me. I want students to go on and think about microbiology in their everyday lives.”

The UI Honors Program’s experiential learning requirement prompted Broghammer’s initial drive to pursue research. Broghammer’s involvement in finding solutions and answers toward a real-world problem led her to realize the impact that joining a research lab has had on her. 

Though introductory classes such as McGrane's general microbiology lab taught her invaluable skills, she’s “learned more than a single class could teach” in her virology lab position.

Experiential learning opportunities instill confidence and pride in students. The feeling of contributing to something with real-world impacts has made a strong impression on Broghammer.  

“Joining this lab has made me take a lot more pride in myself, even as a scientist, contributing to something greater than me,” Broghammer said.

Indeed, the work she does is not easy. Broghammer’s research involves discovering how the endlessly unique chemical environments of individuals’ brains impact the way HIV infects cells. The more scientists know about this, the more they can advance solutions. This process is incredibly delicate and requires frequent weekends, late nights, and early mornings.

The hard work paid off.  

In October, Broghammer learned a summary of the work she had done in the virology lab with Haim over the summer had been accepted to a prestigious microbiology conference. 

The night before she left for the event, Broghammer held up hangers holding different variations of outfits to present in. She wanted to feel confident, prepared, and comfortable. Presenting the work she had spent weeks and months of her life discovering felt immensely important and heavy.

Broghammer hopped in a van with fellow microbiology students from the UI and made the six-hour drive to Minnesota with the Microbiology Undergraduate Student Association to the American Society of Microbiology North Central Branch Meeting. Broghammer always feels she could be more prepared, more informed —  this time, though, she had to trust herself in the skills she knew she had.

She and fellow student presenters stayed up in their hotel rooms, practicing with each other, anxious and excited about the day to come. Broghammer was to give a presentation to peers and professionals in the microbiology world with a slideshow she had prepared detailing her countless efforts and the implications of her research. 

Minutes before the presentation, she was nervous. She took deep breaths and did her best to center her thinking. Her hands gripped together tightly as she prepared to speak in front of nearly 50 people.

“It's one thing to submit an abstract and get accepted — it's another to go and give a 15-minute talk over your work to experts in the field,” Broghammer said. 

Despite the nerves, she stood onstage and spoke about the life-changing project she had devoted so much time to. She finished in second place overall. 

Broghammer was ecstatic to be recognized for the hard work she had put into her research. 

“I was very proud of myself for that,” she said. 

Beyond building confidence and confirming how Broghammer is exactly where she should be, this changed her potential career trajectory. Now, Broghammer sees herself in graduate school, studying to become even more involved in microbiology research. 

To get these opportunities, it is important for students to put themselves out there, even if they feel as though they don’t have the best grades or the most experience. McGrane, who set Broghammer up with Haim in her virology lab, dispelled rumors that research is just for one type of student.

One doesn’t have to be an honors student or on the Dean’s List to have the same opportunities as Broghammer. Drive and passion are two things that can’t be taught or reflected exclusively through test scores.

“The biggest thing that faculty want to see in students who work in research labs is enthusiasm and curiosity,” McGrane said. 

Simply sending a few emails and asking questions can be the difference between securing an opportunity for research and floating through one’s major without the potential for work with real-world impacts.

“Faculty are incredibly skilled at teaching you the techniques that you need to know to be able to carry out a particular experiment,” McGrane said. “But you have to have the drive.”  

It’s normal to be nervous to start new things, including research positions. Broghammer was. 

But, at the end of the day, slipping off her gloves, exchanging her lab coat for her rain jacket, putting in her earbuds to listen to a podcast for the walk home, Broghammer knows she is exactly where she’s meant to be.