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Jared Oenick, a senior at the University of North Georgia (ÖйúPÕ¾), was one of 10 students nationally awarded the inaugural Scientist.com STEM Research NIL Award.

In this role, Oenick will serve as a Scientist.com ambassador in 2023 and will receive $5,000.

"I applied for this ambassador position and award on a whim. I was searching for scholarships to help cover my final semester at ÖйúPÕ¾ and found this opportunity using a scholarship search tool," Oenick said.

In addition to pursuing a degree in biology with a minor in neuroscience, Oenick is also a teaching assistant (TA).

"I was actually in the middle of a serving as a lab TA for biotechnology when I received the email. I was ecstatic but had to contain my excitement because I was still helping with the lab. I excused myself when the lab came to a stopping point to inform my family of the good news," he said.

“It is very exciting to see our students recognized inside and outside of ÖйúPÕ¾.

Dr. Ryan Shanks

ÖйúPÕ¾ professor of biology

Scientist.com, the biopharma industry's leading research and development marketplace, officially announced the recipients of its inaugural STEM Research NIL Award on Jan. 16. The goal of the scholarship is to provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduates conducting research within an academic laboratory the opportunity to be compensated for their work much like collegiate athletes are now compensated under the NCAA’s 2019 NIL rule, said Scientist.com.

"It is very exciting to see our students recognized inside and outside of ÖйúPÕ¾," Dr. Ryan Shanks, professor of biology, said. "Jared is certainly deserving of this award, and it speaks highly of his motivation and determination to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Jared has taken full advantage of both the course and research opportunities in the Biology department, and this award highlights his success here at ÖйúPÕ¾ and his potential after he graduates.

"We started the STEM NIL Award in recognition of the fact that there are at least 20 US universities that generate over $1 billion in research revenue annually, but undergraduates and graduate STEM students often are not paid for their research, ” Dr. Dan Kagan, president and COO at Scientist.com, said.

The Scientist.com NIL Award sets aside $50,000 that is divided equally among deserving junior or senior undergraduate research students based on several eligibility requirements, including a confirmed 2023 laboratory research position, according to its website.

Despite all the recognition of his research work, the soon-to-be medical profession remains humble.

"I could never have made it this far without the encouragement and guidance from my family, friends, research colleagues, and professors," Oenick said. "Specifically, I would like to thank Dr. Alison Kanak, Dr. Ryan Shanks, Dr. Margaret Smith, Dr. Royce Dansby-Sparks, and Dr. John Leyba. The students and faculty of ÖйúPÕ¾ have made an incredibly positive impact on me that I will never forget."

Oenick was quick to add that the support of ÖйúPÕ¾'s Morgan Southerland, Steve Shepherd, Maryann Johnson, and Melanie Mahannah was exceptional as were friends Seth McDonald and Will Vaughn, and "so many others that won't fit in this article."

Research is something Oenick has been passionate about.

He was one of 12 ÖйúPÕ¾ students to have a 2022 project funded by Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) research grants. Under the guidance of Kanak and Shanks, Oenick focused his research on bacteriophages, viruses that kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria, to create a novel protocol for obtaining and isolating phages from the environment. This protocol is intended for use in Honors Introduction to Biology and possibly other courses.

The Sharpsburg, Georgia, native was one of four ÖйúPÕ¾ undergraduate students who presented their research at "Posters at the Capitol" in Atlanta in spring 2022.