My Honors Experiences
As a student in the Honors College, I am required each semester to complete advanced work that goes beyond the standard expectations of my courses. During my time at IU Indianapolis, I have fulfilled these requirements by enrolling in Honors courses, completing Honors contracts, and participating in undergraduate research.
Below, I outline the ways I have earned my Honors credits, along with the specific skills and strengths I have developed through each of these experiences.
Nicole Gordon at NCUR 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Undergraduate Research in Dr.Roper's Lab
When I started college in August 2022, I knew that I wanted to pursue opportunities that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. One of those opportunities was undergraduate research. I was a part of the Freshman Biology Apprenticeship Program, where I began in Dr.Roper's lab washing dishes and doing basic lab things, but by spring semester I was able to have a bigger role in the lab. From there I was able to stay throughout the summer semester and join a project, which I have been working on ever since.
To continue my work in Dr.Roper's lab I have been a part of many different programs to either earn credit or get paid to continue my research. I began completing BIOL-K295 credit for undergraduate research, then was named an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholar, joined the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and then completed NSCI-493 and 494.
Nicole Gordon and friends at the Annual Beckman Symposium 2025 in Irvine, CA.
Nicole Gordon in the Indianapolis International Airport before leaving for NCUR 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA.
When I started college in August 2022, I knew that I wanted to pursue opportunities that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. One of those opportunities was undergraduate research. I was a part of the Freshman Biology Apprenticeship Program, where I began in Dr.Roper's lab washing dishes and doing basic lab things, but by spring semester I was able to have a bigger role in the lab. From there I was able to stay throughout the summer semester and join a project, which I have been working on ever since.
To continue my work in Dr.Roper's lab I have been a part of many different programs to either earn credit or get paid to continue my research. I began completing BIOL-K295 credit for undergraduate research, then was named an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholar, joined the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and then completed NSCI-493 and 494.
Freshman Biology Apprenticeship Program
During my time in the Freshman Biology Apprenticeship program I laid the foundational skills for the rest of the research that I was going to complete during my time at IUI. I learned skills such as proper lab technique, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), DNA Quantification, along with more specific skills that related to my specific project, like working with mice. The project that I joined was looking at the cognitive and neurodevelopmental deficits in the TcMAC21 mouse model of Down syndrome. In this project my main role was conducting and analyzing the behavioral testing that was run on these mice, including gait analysis, locomotor testing, balance beam and Morris Water Maze. By the end of the summer I was able to present my research at the Center for Research and Learning Summer Symposium, where I got to focus on my communication skills when it came to my research findings.
Nicole Gordon presenting her research at IUPUI CRL Summer Research Symposium in 2024.
BIOL-K295
As a student taking BIOL-K295 for two semesters, during this time I had a main focus on continuing to develop skills that were necessary for the project I was working on, but also starting to dive into what the literature had to say about our research goals in the lab. As part of the course I had to read over ten scientific papers about what I was doing in the lab, then summarize them to a single page synopsis. These not only helped me understand how to read scientific literature, but also how to condense it into the most important parts. Also during this time I was working on my application to the Arnold and Mabel Beckman program, which allowed me to further work on my scientific writing skills.
While doing all of this I was still able to continue work on my project, while also working on a second project that focused on behavioral testing, but used a different mouse model.
Nicole Gordon presenting her research at NCUR 2025.
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholarship
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Scholars Program was a program that is focusing on creating the next generation of scientists, following Dr.Beckman's ideals, this program provides a funded 15-month program where undergraduate students are paired with a research mentor and complete undergraduate research. Being selected for this program was a transformative experience that allowed me to meet other students, faculty, fly to Californa and Boston, present my research at their annual national symposium, but above all else continue to work in research.
This program gave me a first hand experience of what it would be like to work in research by providing me the funding to work throughout two summers working 40 hours a week. It allowed me to jumpstart that work that I was doing the semester, but also gave me a great amount of time to develop my skills as a researcher.
Nicole Gordon presenting her research at the Annual Beckman Symposium 2025 in Irvine, CA.
UROP/NSCI-493 and 494
After the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Program ended I applied for UROP funding, which allowed me to shift gears in terms of which project I was working on. The earlier project about the TcMAC21 mice had gotten completed, so now my time was just focused on finishing my other project using the Ts65Dn mice. Currently this is what I am completing while finishing my my time here at IUI and writing my capstone. This project has been completed and final steps are helping with the writing of the manuscript
Nicole Gordon at the Annual Beckman Symposium 2025 in Irvine, CA.
Reflection:
Participating in undergraduate research provided me with many transferable skills that have influenced other areas of my life and will continue to shape my future career. Developing skills such as innovation, problem-solving, communication, and organization has made me a stronger scientist, which in turn will help me become a better physician.
By joining a hypothesis-driven research project, I learned how to evaluate existing literature and develop well-supported hypotheses. I strengthened my ability to analyze scientific articles critically and interpret results, even when they did not align with my original expectations. Understanding that not every experiment confirms a hypothesis—but that unexpected results are equally valuable—was one of the most important lessons I gained. It taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of approaching challenges with an open and analytical mindset.
Overall, I am extremely grateful that I chose to pursue undergraduate research. It has been a transformative experience that has shaped both my personal growth and my preparation for a future career in medicine.