Betsy Custis (MBS ‘24) and Praseuth Yang (MBS ‘24) are newly appointed ambassadors for the Master of Biological Sciences program. This exciting new initiative pairs recent MBS graduates with prospective students which, according to CCAPS Enrollment Advisor Steve Wicks, provides a unique in-depth look into the student experience, including research, from someone with first-hand knowledge. For alumni, this is a chance to share their knowledge with someone who may have the same questions they had before they applied.
We talked to Betsy and Praseuth about why being an ambassador is important to them and about their own journey earning the MBS degree.
Why Become an MBS Ambassador?
Like many students entering the MBS program, Betsy wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to pursue and where she wanted to go with her degree. “I just knew that it would fit with my life because I could take it slow,” she says.
With the option to choose a coursework-only or research pathway, the MBS can prepare students for a wide variety of careers in industry or academia. “I really wanted to be able to shed light on how you can navigate all of these options,” Betsy continues. “You just don't find quality science programs with this kind of flexibility. Until I started the program, I wasn't fully aware of everything the University had to offer, and I was just really floored. I wanted to be able to share that perspective and make people feel like they could find a space here and be welcomed.”
Praseuth agrees. He was also interested in building a sense of community for future MBS students. “I wanted to get involved because I wanted to see that we could create a kind of cohesion between the cohorts,” he says. “You get really all that you can by engaging more, and I feel like a lot of people may be overwhelmed with the amount of freedom and options, so it helps to have a voice that can guide them.”
The advisors, he adds, play a critical role as well, but it can be tricky to establish a peer network because everybody has a different schedule and is progressing at their own pace. “I think having some kind of mentorship program is really there to bridge that gap,” he says. “In my previous position, I was around a lot of grad students and saw how their programs guide them or set up the cohorts, so I got involved because I wanted to see that kind of potential.”
Connecting with Up-and-Coming Scientists
Betsy has met with two potential MBS students and says it has been a great experience so far. One person shared her academic interests, so Betsy talked about specific courses and research opportunities.
“Both of them seemed like they were interested because of the flexibility. You don't even have to decide going in, because that can feel overwhelming. So I just helped them understand how it can be what you want it to be. I was like, if you decide to join the program and want to come down, I can take you on a tour. I would be glad to, especially because I'm still on campus, to help somebody get acclimated. I would be thrilled to do that.”
Praseuth met with one person who had already done a ton of their own research on the degree. “They wanted confirmation that they were going to make the right choice. Everything that we talked about was basically a validation of what they thought the program would be, how it would fit with their lifestyle, all of the strengths of the program, and why they would want to do it. It just seemed like it was a good fit.”
They also talked about a lab that they were both familiar with, the Kang Lab, which studies the genetic basis of muscular dystrophy (genetic neuromuscular disease), among other neurogenetics topics. Praseuth’s lab was investigating a genetic neurodegenerative disease at the time, “so there was a lot of interesting common ground.”
What Have You Liked About It So Far?
Betsy admits that connecting with fellow ambassador Praseuth was definitely a highlight! She had missed an earlier kick-off event, so it was nice to meet another alumnus. “Staying connected with the program has felt really fulfilling,” she says.
“That's definitely a big part of it,” Praseuth adds. “It's really nice to have this kind of a program where you keep connected. I think that really helps to build both the program as a base and help with the outreach. What I think I wanted, and what I've heard from other people, is that they wanted more interaction with their peers. Having a network to stay connected to can help start that.”
What Do Prospective MBS Students Want to Know?
For Betsy, the common questions were about research. One person was potentially interested in pursuing a PhD, so Betsy recommended gaining some research experience.
In the MBS program, students can take courses from different units across the University, so potentially any bioscience faculty member could become a mentor or colleague. Past students have worked with professors in the College of Biological Sciences, the Medical School, and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.
“It doesn't have to be a two-year thing, it can be shorter,” she says. “You can make it as much as you're able to handle, at least that was my experience. I basically explained how when you get to know faculty and ask questions and interact with them, the doors just begin to open.”
Praseuth adds, “I think a lot of people would probably have questions about the flexibility of the program. There's a bit of ambiguity in that inherently. To realize that you have a lot of options is a lot to deal with, so I think getting the confirmation that it's a program that works for you is good.”
What Advice Would You Give a Prospective MBS Student?
“Come and take a tour with an ambassador!” Betsy says. “I mean, hands down, get on campus. Whatever you're interested in, the ambassador will know how to connect you.”
Praseuth also advises to get as much exposure to the program as possible. “I think it would be really good to have prospective students meet with or engage with students who are already doing things in a core facility, the conservatories, or the Arboretum, etc.”
More About Ambassador Betsy Custis
“I focused on plant biology and conservation. And then, more specifically, when I did research, I was focusing on ex situ conservation. I had a very part-time student job at the conservatory on campus, and I got very interested in how you can do conservation within a conservatory or a public garden. So I focused my research on those aspects of conservation." (Ex situ conservation is the practice of protecting endangered species, variety, or breed of plant or animal outside of their natural environment.)
"Upon graduation, I was offered a position at the College of Biological Sciences’ conservatory and botanical collection here on the University of Minnesota campus. I get to lead their education and outreach programs. I work in a lot of informal educational settings, doing outreach, volunteer programming, connecting classes and courses with us, and other things. I've started a lot of collaborations with other institutions to use our facility and collections, to give everybody from kindergartners all the way through college real hands-on experience with living plants. We also get a lot of art courses that come in and use our material for drawing, painting, photography, and writing.”
More About Ambassador Praseuth Yang
“I kind of had a winding route. My background was in neuroscience, and I was hoping to expand on that into immunology. Pharmacology was one of the ways that I wanted to go, and if not that, then more of a bioinformatics, computational approach. So some of the courses that I took ended up in both of those areas adjacent to neuroscience. I eventually landed on a project that was doing RNA-seq results. But I did have a lot of classes that were here and there while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to focus on. (RNA seq, or RNA sequencing, is a technique that uses next-generation sequencing to reveal the presence and quantity of RNA molecules in a biological sample, providing a snapshot of gene expression in the sample.)
"While I was in the program, I was in a neurodegenerative lab as a tech. After I graduated, I moved into a different lab in the department of pharmacology. So, despite the bioinformatics side of things being my master's thesis, the other side, with pharmacology and neuroscience, came into play. Right now I'm in a lab at the University that studies addiction using mouse models. We are particularly interested in the inhibitory signaling pathways which are dysregulated under chronic use of drugs of abuse and how they might be targeted therapeutically. I do various intracranial mouse surgeries and run behavior tests while the other arms of the lab culture neurons and do electrophysiology."
Mia Boos is a writer and content strategist with the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, covering the College’s graduate programs and undergraduate individualized degree programs. She joined the CCAPS Marketing team in 2014 and has worked for Thomson Reuters and New York University. Connect with her via LinkedIn.
