Neil Ahluwalia
Neil Ahluwalia is not a typical student athlete. A member of the men's varsity tennis team, he is a junior who plans to finish his bachelor's degree in just three years. A major in biology and psychology, his goal is to head a lab that practices medicine in an academic setting, investigating the role of genetics in heart disease.

"When I came to UIC and began practicing various research techniques, heart cells were one of the first things that I really became interested in and I kind of just stuck to it," said Ahluwalia. He is working in the lab of Brenda Russell, executive associate vice chancellor for research, studying the growth of heart cells on three-dimensional membranes.

A Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions student, he will pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. in molecular genetics when he finishes his bachelor's degree.

Rehan Ahmed
Characterizing the relationship between the mind and the brain is a challenge Rehan Ahmed accepts with great zeal. A junior majoring in biology and philosophy and the founder and president of UIC's neuroscience club, Ahmed wants to head a lab that practices neuroscientific research.

Ahmed's quest to know more about the human brain started in a high school philosophy class in Bloomington, where he learned about artificial intelligence and realized the wonders of the human brain.

A Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions student, Ahmed will pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. in neurobiology. His eventual goal is to find a cure for Alzheimer's and similar diseases.

Ahmed studied abroad in the Great Cities London program this past summer, learning about mental health treatment and prevention in Great Britain. He will compare Chicago's managed care health plans with London's national health care system.

Michelle Gentile
"I was a curious child who always felt comfortable with science," said Michelle Gentile, a senior majoring in biology and English. "Once I started the hands-on experimentation, I was hooked."

Gentile passes on her love of science to children as site coordinator for Project Esteem, an education program for children in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

"It's great working with the kids. They really get excited about science when we perform different experiments and apply the rules of physics and biology," said Gentile.

Gentile plans to pursue a career in surgical oncology and research, seeking the molecular markers of cancer and developing targeted therapies. "I hope to find something to distinguish cancer-causing agents and treat each cancer separately," she said.

Gentile is the cofounder and coeditor in chief of The Journal for Pre-Health Affiliated Students. She interned this past summer at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, where she worked with a new technique to detect the genetic expressions of colon cancer in the institute's Genetics Cancer Branch.