“It Makes Me Feel Like I’m Changing the World:” Idaho State Univ. First Gen Student Taking Full Advantage of Research, Academic, and Campus Life Experiences*

“It makes me feel like I’m changing the world,” beams the senior at Idaho State University while describing her work in the lab using the African clawed frog to help understand human developmental disorders. There’s plenty of truth in her statement. The same genetic building blocks that govern the development of these amphibians as embryos are the same for human embryos.

“We’re trying to figure out and understand how genetic mutations result in 3MC syndrome,” explains Lopez. “Potentially, we could discover ways to prevent or treat this genetic disorder.”

Lopez was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho, an ag-centric community north of Twin Falls. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, her father worked on farms in the area while her mother worked at a potato processor to provide for Lopez and her two older sisters. In the home, her parents instilled in Lopez a love of her Mexican heritage. She’d regularly attend jaripeos–rodeos with dancing and music—and bailes–dance nights—as well as cook with her mom and help tend the cattle with her dad on the family’s small ranch. Her parents also stressed the importance of an education beyond high school for Lopez and her sisters, who had received no more than a sixth-grade education. 

“Growing up, they were very engaged with me and my school work. They would ask what I was learning and if I had finished my homework. They always tried to attend parent-teacher conferences to encourage me to try my best in school. When my sisters were in high school, my parents would remind them about thinking of college and a career.”

While there was plenty of verbal encouragement for education, what Lopez saw left a lasting impression.

“I could see how exhausted my parents were from working their shifts. As much as they would try to hide it, the little details were noticeable.”

When it came time for Lopez to make her leap into post-secondary education, Idaho State University was a near-natural fit for her. ISU’s designation as the State’s lead institution in health professions and small class sizes were part of the draw.

“I went on a campus tour and really liked the campus and the community feel. It felt very homey. ”

Once she was on ISU’s Pocatello campus, it would be a bit before Lopez’s dive into frog genetics. She majored in Spanish for Health Professions at the start of her college career, which offers classes and training specific to the language found in healthcare.

“When I was little, I would go to the clinic with my mom, and there would be no translators. I would translate, but I didn’t know the medical terms and worried about messing up the words. I want to help people and my community. ”

As a kid, Lopez harbored a dream of becoming a medical doctor, a dream sparked by her grandfather's death from complications with diabetes when she was in fifth grade. Coupled with her natural curiosity and fondness for science, she soon switched majors to biology with a biomedical concentration with the goal of getting into a medical school and specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.

“I really enjoyed the first biology class I took and found myself asking more questions in my biology classes. I wanted to learn more and was even looking things up outside of class,” she said. “As a freshman, I attended a networking event and learned about the opportunities available and switched majors.”  

After making the hop to biology in her sophomore year, Lopez was introduced to Heather Ray, an assistant professor in the biological sciences department. Ray is an expert in developmental biology–the study of how animals and plants grow and develop–and it's in her lab where Lopez and her fellow students are using the African clawed frog to gain a better understanding of how genetic changes lead to developmental disorders. Lopez’s work involves a pair of proteins: hypermethylated in cancer 2 and mannan-binding lectin serine protease 1. Also found in humans and known by their respective acronyms, Hic2 and Masp1, these proteins are involved as embryos mature, and if they’re disrupted, it leads to developmental disorders like 3MC syndrome. 3MC syndrome typically leads to facial abnormalities such as widely spaced eyes, narrowing of the eye openings, droopy eyelids, highly arched eyebrows, cleft lip and palate, and may affect other tissues and organs. 

“Students in the lab are making strides in our understanding of how specific genetic changes lead to complex developmental disorders, and Miriam initially worked in a team of students towards one such project,” said Ray. “She has now taken on her own independent project with greater implications beyond the 3MC syndrome, and I look forward to seeing what she finds. Miriam has been a great addition to our lab family. She is highly inquisitive and eager to learn and gain new experiences.” 

“Growing up in a small town, you’re not exposed to things like this,” said Lopez. “I saw clinics and doctors but didn’t see the behind-the-scenes research side until I was at ISU.”

Lopez’s efforts have also landed her seats in several sought-after programs and internships. In 2022, she was chosen for the Summer Health Professions Education Program at the University of Washington in Seattle. Started in 1989, SHPEP is held at just 12 universities across the country and “provides scholars with academic enrichment in the basic sciences and math, clinical experiences, career development activities, learning and study skills seminars, and a financial planning workshop.”

“I was able to job shadow with an amazing OB/GYN who worked in both a hospital and a clinic, and I got to see the difference between the two. She answered all my questions, and I could see the whys and the hows of the career I was interested in.”

And in 2024, Lopez was selected for the Society for Developmental Biology’s Choose Development! Fellowship. As one of just ten students chosen for the fellowship, which seeks “to increase the number of undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds that enter graduate programs in the field of developmental biology,” Lopez earns an $11,000 stipend over two summers for her work in Ray’s lab at ISU.

Her college experience hasn’t been all books and the lab. Lopez has become deeply involved in ISU’s on-campus clubs and organizations. She’s served as the President of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science at ISU, the First Gen Club–a club focused on being “a resource for first-generation college students”–and in multiple roles with Lambda Theta Alpha. She also worked as a work-study student in ISU’s Admissions office for two years.    

“Growing up in a small community, I was able to volunteer in different ways, like at a food pantry stocking shelves, helping serve breakfast at my church, and tutoring elementary school students as well as helping at their school carnivals,” said Lopez. “At ISU, I decided to get involved and meet new people to get that sense of home and family I’m used to. Giving back makes me feel more at home and at peace.” 

“Miriam was an outstanding student worker who exuded self-motivation, strong moral character, and more,” said Nicole Joseph, director of admissions. “I have always been impressed with her dedication, follow-through, and work ethic as a student.” 

Looking past her time at Idaho State, Lopez has eyes on an MD-PhD program after she plans to graduate in the Spring of 2025. These rigorous programs allow students to earn both a doctor of medicine and a doctor of philosophy degree. Often, these physician-scientists both care for patients and tackle research projects. After her education, she hopes to return to Idaho or a rural community elsewhere and open a practice of her own.

“ISU is helping me prepare for my future by providing me with opportunities for internships, connecting me with new people, and allowing me to see different labs and the research happening in them. The professors are there for the students and try to help by sharing their knowledge with first-gen students who may not know about the available opportunities.”

For more information on Idaho State University’s Department of Biological Sciences, visit isu.edu/biology. 

Prospective students can book a campus tour at isu.edu/visit.