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SALISBURY, MD---Emily Kansler, daughter of Brigit and Christopher Kansler of Abingdon, MD, knew from the moment she took her first biology class in high school that she wanted to pursue a career in the field. Eight years later, despite a troubled economy, her dream has come true.

As a senior biology major in SU’s Bellavance Honors Program, she applied for an internship through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. With her SU experience, the institute was able to place her at an internship with the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground. She enjoyed her time there—and apparently the feeling was mutual. Upon earning her B.S., she was offered a position as an engineering and operations assistant at the center.

“SU helped prepare me to be able to think critically and work within a team,” she said.

Kansler credits two SU faculty for her success. Her advisor, Dr. Mark Frana, “always gave me his honest opinions about my plans for the future and guided me in the right direction toward my goals,” she said.

Dr. Barbara Pollock, her undergraduate thesis mentor, was “inspirational, helpful and incredibly kind throughout the whole thesis-writing process,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Kansler plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biology and is applying to graduate schools for fall 2011.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.