Edmond Fomunung is a CURO biomedical apprentice who recently won a Charles Ross Summer Research Fellowship for Minority Undergraduate/Graduate Students in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan. The Charles Ross Fellowship, a highly competitive and prestigious fellowship, provides a stipend of $3,600 for a 12-week research experience with one of the University of Michigan faculty. Fomunung, an Honors student majoring in cellular biology and French and originally from Cameroon, studied with Benedict Lucchessi, an expert in cardiovascular pharmacology. He hopes to become a doctor and work in international medicine after graduation from UGA.
Hometown:
McAllen, Texas
High School:
Stone Mountain High School
Degree objective:
B.S. in Cellular Biology and A.B. in French
Expected graduation:
May 2008
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I am a CURO (Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities) Apprentice and do research with David Peterson in the Veterinary School of Medicine. I had an opportunity to present my research at the CURO symposium. In addition, I received the First Year Apprentice Achievement Award. I am also part of the Dean Tate Honor Society and the Student Health Advisory Committee. I have served on the Honors Program Student Council and am a member of the national pre-med society Alpha Epsilon Delta. I recently also became part of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. I received a Fellowship to do some amazing research last summer with a really unique professor, Benedict Lucchessi at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It was a demanding experience, and what I learned and gained is priceless. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
I chose to attend UGA because…
…of the affordability. UGA definitely blows other similarly competitive schools out of the water in the department of cost. My uncle and my aunt are also a big reason why I came here. They encouraged me and made many things possible for me to be here today. I’ve never since regretted my decision; the education I’m receiving is superb and it introduced me to the game of football.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…just hang out and sometimes study the Bible with my friends and attend concerts by the School of Music.
When I have free time, I like…
…to listen to music, watch football and movies, play soccer, talk to my family and learn the piano.
My favorite place to study is…
…the Science Library. There are rooms up in the Science Library that give a student all the isolation that he/she needs to really get some work done. In fact, that kind of isolation gives one no choice and almost forces you to study. I plan to use it a lot more down the road when the going gets tougher.
My favorite professor is…
…Pamela Kleiber, CURO Coordinator and Associate Director of the Honors Program. Dr. Kleiber is an amazing person. She introduced me to research here at the University of Georgia, and it is impressive what she has been doing with the CURO program. This university is a premier research institution and it is important that undergraduate students are able to take advantage of this great opportunity. Dr. Kleiber believes the possibilities are endless, and she is on a mission to make this possible for all students. She has opened up windows of opportunity for me that I’ll never be able to thank her enough for. You just have to meet her to appreciate the kind of caring person she is.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya. I’ll just like to ask him how he holds his country together in a peaceful state amidst all the civil strife that is going on in neighboring countries. I’ll also like to be able to give him some advice about how he could better reach out to all his citizens to help alleviate some of the dreadful living conditions.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…unite all the countries in Africa. I know there is power in unity, and by uniting all these people, I am convinced it sets the stage for the swift and complete control of all the disease, war and poverty that so pervasively plagues this beautiful continent.
After graduation, I plan to…
…to go to medical school while still participating in research. I also hope to work for and someday lead the World Health Organization.
