Research Rookies Student Profiles

Name: Shamika Olivares

Cohort: Freshman Research Rookie & Simmons' Scholar

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jim Horn

From the struggles she has overcome herself, to her dreams of helping others, Shamika Olivares is an inspirational person. At a young age, she noticed that she loved learning about how and why the human body works, and she has been continuing to learn about medicine and the human body ever since.  Shamika decided she wanted to become a doctor so that she could help others and make them feel as comfortable as possible during their difficult situations, and she has been doing everything in her power to achieve that goal. She has even chosen to challenge herself by switching her major from Biochemistry to Biomedical Engineering, because she thinks it will help her be most successful. Shamika also graduated high school with a 5.0 GPA as well as research experience.

When it comes to research, Shamika is a seasoned veteran. She did research multiple times throughout high school, spent many summers at science camps, and even interned at Argonne National Laboratory for one summer. So, when she heard about the opportunity of continuing research through the Research Rookies program, she applied right away.

Now, she is working with Dr. Horn, who always is teaching her more and more, and helping her every step of the way. With his help, Shamika is working on mutating enzymes to make them more temperature resistant. By studying how to buffer these antibodies, the scientific community will gain a better understanding of antibodies which will help with protein resistance. Shamika will also be starting site-specific mutations of the antibodies soon, and she cannot wait to get involved and do the actual work.

Shamika clearly has a deep love of science and helping others. She would like to go to medical school, work in emergency medicine, and also get a PhD in engineering and research.  Through Research Rookies she is making valuable connections in her field as well as gaining more experience. Between her unbelievable work ethic, her Research Rookies experience, and her kind heart, the sky is the limit for Shamika Olivares.

Shamika on what being a Research Rookie means: “Being a Research Rookie means being part of a dedicated team of students at NIU.  IT means being part of an elite group who takes questions and turns them into a real life critical thinking problem.”