Ethan Wilkins Does Summer Research Internship with Dr. Heda

Ethan Wilkins, a biology major in the Department of Sciences and Mathematics, was awarded a Mississippi INBRE Research Scholars summer internship to work in the lab of Dr. Ghanshyam Heda, Professor of Biology at MUW.

The program has Ethan do biomedical research in the lab of Dr. Heda for 10 weeks over the summer of 2025. Ethan’s project involves the expression of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, mutant copies of which cause the disease Cystic Fibrosis.

The research internship pays Ethan $6500 to work full under time Dr. Heda’s supervision, learning molecular and cell biology protocols, generating and analyzing data, and developing skills and connections that will help Ethan in whatever professional route he chooses after graduating.

The Mississippi INBRE Research Scholars summer internship program runs every summer and is open to Mississippi undergraduate students. The Department of Sciences and Mathematics has several faculty members like Dr. Heda who have research labs students can choose to work in if accepted into the program.

Students like Ethan who do independent mentored research with departmental faculty members gain experiences and skills that are highly valued by graduate schools, professional programs like medical or pharmacy school, governmental agencies, and private sector employers alike.

A benefit to MUW’s small size is that faculty like Dr. Heda get to know students like Ethan and can help direct them to programs like this.