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Deirdre grew up in Kansas City and became interested in science
in middle school, around the age of 11 or 12. In high school she
had an increased interest in biology and was beginning to become
interested in a career in medicine. In the fall of 1993, she entered
college at Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) in Springfield,
Missouri. During her four years of undergraduate work, Deirdre became
more interested in the fields of microbiology and immunology than
that of medicine. In the spring of 1997 she completed her Bachelors
of Science degree with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry
and graduated at Summa Cum Laude status.
In the fall of 1997 she began graduate course work in that of microbiology
and immunology at SMSU. During graduate school, Deirdre taught undergraduate
biology laboratories, took classes, and performed research involving
macrophage production of nitric oxide when exposed to fungal hyphae
and yeast cells. In the spring of 1999, she completed her Masters
of Science in Biology degree.
Being unemployed the next three months after graduation was one
of the most difficult times she had to face. She knew she wanted
to return to Kansas City and pursue a career in research, but there
were very few positions in research available. At times she felt
like she was a failure, because many people she knew at school had
secured jobs before graduating, and yet here she was still looking
for a job three months after graduation. Finally, a temporary position
opened up at Pfizer Animal Health where she worked in one of their
microbiology laboratories. After one month at Pfizer, Deirdre was
offered an Associate Scientist position in the Biotechnology section
at Midwest Research Institute (MRI). She has been at MRI for two
years and has worked on several projects ranging from topics in
microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology. Her most exciting
part of her career was when she was presented with the Perry L.
Bidstrup Award for outstanding contribution to research at MRI on
September 7, 2001.
Outside of her career, Deirdre has been married for three years
to husband Joe. They reside in Shawnee, KS with their beagle, named
Bailey. Deirdre is also a trained ballet dancer and attends class
once a week at the Somerset Ballet Centre in Prairie Village, KS.
She has previously volunteered for an organization called Girls
to Women where she was an adult mentor for middle school aged girls
that were interested in pursuing careers in science, mathematics,
and technology.
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