La biologie est ma passion

Alexandra L. Bey, member of the Carolina Class of 2007, is a passionate biology major with an eye towards pursuing a career in medical research. While biology is her love, Alexandra is enamored of languages, literature, history, and psychology as well. That’s why she’s double majoring in French. And UNC, a renowned liberal arts campus with first-class science faculty and facilities, has been an ideal place for Alexandra to explore it all.

In working towards her biology degree, Alexandra has found the extensive research opportunities at Carolina to be a perfect mix of theory-based and hands-on learning. She is currently investigating the roles of different regulatory proteins in meiotic recombination, or “crossing-over,” using an exciting assay recently developed by the lab where she works. This assay allows the researchers to visually quantify recombination events in plants so that they may further understand how this complex process occurs in eukaryotic organisms.

Alexandra is making the most of her time at Carolina, taking advantage of all the University has to offer. In addition to the authentic learning that takes place in the classroom, Alexandra has profited from working in a lab with established scientists eager to help expand her scientific knowledge, improve her lab practices, and further develop her career interests. She also took her studies “on the road” by enrolling in the Trans-Atlantic Science Student Exchange Program, where she studied molecular genetics at a French university.

After graduating, Alexandra intends to spend a year doing a research internship in the biological pharmaceutical field while she deciding where to apply to medical school. In the meantime, she plans to enjoy the student-centered atmosphere of Chapel Hill and the other many smaller, historic towns in the area, just minutes away—the shady sidewalks of Hillsborough, an outdoor concert in Carrboro, or an ice-cream float in the old drugstore in Pittsboro. Sounds more like life is Alexandra’s passion. 

Awards: Dean’s list each semester, Carolina Scholar, National Merit Scholar, participant in the UNC Honors Program, recipient of Smallwood Summer Undergraduate Research Grant, recipient of the Kauffman Foundation Fellowship and inductee into Phi Beta Kappa.

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