Marley Norton '23

I am a dual-degree student studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and iSTEP STEM+German. Outside of the ISP program, I’m also a member of the iCons program, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to some of the world’s largest scientific challenges. I’m set to graduate in the spring of 2023 and last spring (2022) I studied abroad in Konstanz, Germany. 

In Germany, I had the opportunity to research at the city’s university. Under supervision from a PhD candidate there, I managed my own project studying the response immune cells have to bacterial contamination in pharmaceuticals. My main objective was to overexpress the cofactor molecule CD14 to observe whether this would increase the stimulation of surface receptor TLR4. Outside of the lab, I was able to take immersive German language courses, all with other international students. These peers became my great friends, and we would travel, eat, swim, and celebrate together. Overall, Konstanz is such a small, beautiful city that became like a second home. 

 Currently, I’m working on finishing my honors thesis, which deconstructs the contradictions between current U.S. public opinion and the unrepresentative and large number of anti-trans bills that have been proposed over the past two years. Following graduation, I’m hoping to go cross-country and see many of the beautiful national parks the U.S. contains and in the following years I’ll apply for the DAAD scholarship to hopefully earn my master’s degree abroad in Germany.