Science is competitive. After you graduate, you're going to compete with a lot of well-prepared people for positions in graduate programs, professional school and the working world.  To help you stand with the best, the School of Science develops skills with the types of academic material and research you'll encounter in further studies. Classes often include primary sources in their curriculum, while upper-level classes utilize textbooks that students at many other institutions don't explore until graduate school. With strong curricular preparation from supportive professors and opportunities to conduct research in areas you're passionate about, you'll be ready, confident and excited to take on the world.

As a result of its strong programs, the School of Science boasts outstanding placement for graduates in medical, graduate and professional schools. In 2009, seven out of seven pre-med graduates were accepted for admission to medical school. Most students going from the School of Science to graduate school receive scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers and stipends.

Here are some graduates of the School of Science and the careers at which their educations have helped them to excel:

Biology

Richard Davis Jr., Class of 2003
Natural Resources Specialist I & S, Engineers and Architects Inc.
Waldorf, Minn.

Lucas Brinkman, Class of 2002
Family Practice Physician, Fredericksburg Family Practice
Fredericksburg, Iowa

Todd Schwendamin, Class of 1996
Post doctoral candidate at Yale (Master's, USD)
New Haven, Conn.

Janet A. Nicholson, Class of 1970
Associate Director for Laboratory Science, National Center for Infectious Diseases
Atlanta, Ga.

Nicky Sleezer, Class of 1998
Lab Technician, Sleezer Fertility Center
Aurelia, Iowa

David Hendricksen, Class of 1965
Physician, OSF Saint Francis
Metamora, Ill.

Mindi Feilmeier, Class of 2001
Podiatrist, Trimark Physicians Group
Spirit Lake, Iowa

Lisa Shepherd, Class of 1998
Family Practice Physician, Orange City Area Health System
Orange City, Iowa

Benjamin Arentson, Class of 2008
PhD student in Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb. 

Michael Pomeroy, Class of 2007
Student in Nursing Anesthesia, University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Christopher Peters, Class of 2007
Research Scientist in Molecular Biology, Yale University
New Haven, Conn.

Nicole Patterson, Class of 2007
Research Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Ga.

Rachel Muhs, Class of 2008
Research Technician, Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minn.

Andrea Ahrendsen, Class of 2009
Medical Student, Carver College of Medicine - University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Sarah Colvin, Class of 2009
Medical Student, Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Blacksburg, Virginia

Amanda Devries, Class of 2007
PharmD (pharmacy) student, The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio

Aubrey Hauswirth, Class of 2010
PhD student in Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

Christian Overgaard, Class of 2004
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Emory University
Atlanta, Ga.

Chantalle Buhl, Class of 2007
MS student in Genetic Counseling, Northwestern University
Evanston, Ill.

Erin Meier, Class of 2008
MS student in Public Health, St. Louis University
St. Louis, Mo.

Laurie (Cyzewicz) Ristow, Class o 2008
PhD student in Medical Microbiology, Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Megan Kruckenberg, Class of 2010
PhD student in Optometry, University of Houston
Houston, Texas

Christopher Dirkx, Class of 2009
PhD student in Physical Therapy, Des Moines University
Des Moines, Iowa

Chemistry

Pat Burke, Class of 1979
Physician
Donnelly, Minn.

Tom P. Hickey, Class of 1981, Fort Dodge campus
Retired Manager, Biochemistry Research, Ft. Dodge Animal Health
Ft. Dodge, Iowa

Larry Payne, Class of 1990
Manager, Biological Quality Control, Ft. Dodge Animal Health
Ft. Dodge, Iowa

Computer Science

Alex Pelelo, Class of 2011
Software Engineer, IBM
Rochester, Minnesota

Ellen Hartstack, Class of 2011
MS student in Information Assurance, Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

Matthew Wellendorf, Class of 2011
Programmer/Analyst, Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa

Joshua McAllister, Class of 2010
MS student in Information Assurance, Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa

Allison Janssen, Class of 2010
Web Applications Developer, Buena Vista University
Storm Lake, Iowa

Tim Raadt, Class of 2008
Systems Developer, Federated Mutual Insurance Company
Owatonna, Minn.

Kyle Miller, Class of 2005
Senior Consultant, Actie Consulting

Tom Scroggins, Class of 1993
Senior IT Architect, Principal Financial Group
Des Moines, Iowa

Rob Beaver, Class of 1986
Vice President of Engineering, Vidiom Systems
Des Moines, Iowa

Ronda Marshall, Class of 1992
Staff Software Engineer, IBM
Rochester, Minn.

Bill Marshall, Class of 1992
IT Architect, IBM
Rochester, Minn.

Tony Royster, Class of 2000
Senior Web Programmer, AmerUs Group
Des Moines, Iowa

David A. Klee Jr., Class of 2004
Database Administrator, Silverstone Group
Omaha, Neb.

Mathematics

Gail Hartsock, Class of 2009
Math PhD Student, Baylor University
Waco, Texas

Amy Sibbel, Class of 2006
Actuary, EMC Insurance

Scott Palmer, Class of 2006
Math Teacher, Central Lyon High School
Rock Rapids, Iowa

Roseanne Wolf, Class of 2006
Ph.D. student in Mathematics, University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Christie (Shuster) Hochstein, Class of 2002
Analysis Team Lead, Department of Defense

Derek Jansen, Class of 2007
Actuary, Aviva

Sarah Schneider, Class of 2008
Engineer, Xcel Energy

Dr. Jess (Campbell) Lenarz, Class of 1999
Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Concordia College
Moorhead, MN

Physics

Chris Cain, Class of 1994
Project Manager, 3D52 Engineering
Omaha, Neb.