FEBRUARY/MARCH 2000
Moffat
Robitschek
By Leslie Hurt
Second-year medical student at the University of Florida and former PIMS student at FSU
Florida State! Florida State! A well
known chant that leaves images of tough football players and
screaming fans dancing in your head. No one doubts the power
of FSU on the athletic field, but is that all this school has
to offer?
Many students would say no way! Florida State is on the cutting
edge in the scientific world. In recent years, research in biology,
chemistry and genetics has expanded to new heights.
The proof is in the top-notch students Florida State University
is cranking out. Take for instance Jon Robitschek and Lisa Moffat
who spent their undergraduate days at FSU, where they embarked
on a journey that led to medical school and the esteemed Howard
Hughes Medical Institute-National Institutes of Health Research
Scholar Award.
So how did FSU develop these scientific wonders?
"My experience in the research labs of FSU taught me a great
deal about self-reliance, teamwork and the undeniable satisfaction
derived from the hard work and perseverance inherent in any scientific
endeavor," Robitschek said.
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Lisa Moffat also attributes success to her beginnings at FSU.
"My biggest motivators for medical school and research were Dr. Myra Hurt and the opportunities I had through the Program in Medical Sciences," she said. "As a premed student I received wonderful counseling from the PIMS staff on courses to take and exciting health care-related opportunities for students."
After graduating FSU magna cum laude, Lisa attended her first year of medical school in Florida State's PIMS. After her second year of medical school at the University of Florida, the Howard Hughes Award allowed her to conduct research in the NIH laboratories in Bethesda, Md., alongside senior NIH scientists.
"My scholar class had students from Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Michigan ," she said. "The experience was truly phenomenal, probably the best opportunity I've ever had. I still marvel that I was a member of such an incredible scientific community."
Moffat completed her research year and has returned to medical school to continue her clinical years. She continues to win honors such as election to AOA, a national scholastic medical society.
Robitschek graduated summa cum laude from FSU and went on to attend the first two years of medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. As a medical student he received the Dean's Award for Academic Excellence and the Distinguished and Outstanding Academic Performance Award. Recently, he too has received the Howard Hughes Award. He is currently at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, touring the research labs. During the next few weeks, he will pick a lab of interest and begin his research and mentoring.
So when you yell Florida State, cheer for all of the strides this university is making in the scientific arena.