Biochem student
Contents Feature Stories Meet a remarkable biochemistry major CES alum spotlights sustainability at Kohl’s Anthropology field schools uncovers artifacts Biologist studies protein misfolds Communication alum is new MKE fire chief PoliSci professors studies sex in politics
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Meet Sana Shakir. She’s a rising senior at UWM majoring in biochemistry with a certificate in forensic science. She’s also a student researcher in the Sensory, Neuroscience, Attention and Perception (SNAP) Lab; a former food research and development intern; and she’s also the incoming president of the university’s Muslim Student Association. Her secret to doing it all, and with aplomb? “I think one of the important things that I learned about myself throughout college ... is to be flexible to plans changing,” Shakir said. “I think many times we think we have to have everything set out and that’s the only way it can go. But I have found a lot of comfort and success in giving myself a guideline of what to prioritize, and I go from there. It’s helpful to be flexible so you don’t get locked into a corner.” Shakir’s life has been all about flexibility and being willing to try new things. Her family migrated from Iraq to America when she was just eight years old. They settled in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where Shakir grew up nurturing a love for math and science. She chose UWM for her college education both for its proximity and its status as an R1 Research University. When it came time to choose a major, “I was torn between biology and chemistry. I was like, let’s go in between and do biochemistry,” Shakir said. “Then I get the best of both worlds.” Research Her work at college began even before freshman classes started. Shakir participated in UR@UWM, a summer research program that pairs incoming UWM students with faculty mentors to assist in their research inquiries. Here, her flexibility started to shine: Despite being a biochemistry major, Shakir found herself under the mentorship of then-psychology professor Adam Greenberg and working in his SNAP lab. “That was something I was nervous about at first, because I wanted to do something more related to my major. When I tried to find other labs, it just didn’t work out. I was comfortable in that lab,” Shakir said.
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She turned it to her advantage, in fact. Throughout her time as a student researcher, Shakir managed to find projects in the lab that aligned with her major. When Greenberg received an offer to teach at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Shakir continued her research with her mentor. Currently, “I’ve been trying to find a link between the chemical structure of odors that we smell and … how
