Connor McKenney

Interview with Connor McKenney

BS in Genetics

Minors in Biotechnology and Statistics

Anticipated graduation:  May, 2018

Hi Connor!

What do you plan to do after graduating from NC State?

I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Genomics

What is your proudest accomplishment as an NC State student?

My proudest accomplishment as an NC State student so far was having the opportunity to conduct cancer research at a German university through a RISE (Research Internship in Science and Engineering) scholarship.

What do you love best about your department or your major?

What I love the most about the Genetics major is that the small size allows me to form close relationships with my professors.

What wisdom can you offer underclassmen?

I would suggest building positive relationships with your professors and advisor early on. Recommendation letters will become very important, and you never know what opportunities might become available when you have professors looking out for you.

Care to give a shout-out to a faculty or staff member that you would like to recognize?

I would like to thank Dr. Betty Gardner for her continuous support and always looking out for my best interests.

Here are just some of the other remarkable things we discovered about Connor:

• Connor is a research assistant in Dr. David Aylor’s lab at NC State
• He spent one summer as a laboratory intern for Dr. Eric Davis
• He then interned in Dr. Dirk Schmidt-Arras’s lab at Christian Albrechts Universitat in Kiel, Germany
• He has TA’d and tutored for the Genetics program
• He has presented his research at three Undergraduate Research Symposium poster sessions
• An upcoming publication includes him as a co-author
• His GPA is an even, round number
• In his free time, Connor enjoys writing music and hiking