Professor Marina Cetkovic-Cvrlje has earned the mid-career Council on Undergraduate Research Biology Division Mentor Award.
CUR is a national and international interdisciplinary organization of more than 10,000 members from about 700 institutions that support undergraduate research.
The Mentor Award honors biology mentors for their long-term efforts in supervising undergraduate research students.
Cetkovic-Cvrlje has taught biology at St. Cloud State since 2005.
She works with students in biomedicine, biotechnology, nuclear medicine and pre-professional programs on research-based knowledge and skills to prepare them for work or graduate school. In addition to mentoring, teaching and conducting her own research, Cetkovic-Cvrlje has led several short-term study abroad programs to Croatia.
“The award committee recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of Dr. Cetkovic-Cvrlje and her clear dedication to engaging undergraduate students in the creation of new biology knowledge,” said Janet Morrison, chair of the CUR Biology Division Mentor Award Committee in her award letter. “Her level of engagement and success in conducting immunological research on Type I diabetes with undergraduates is truly remarkable.”
In the last 10 years, Cetkovic-Cvrlje has mentored about 65 students who have gone on to attend medical school.
One of those mentees, Michelle “Mickey” Moran is currently studying at University of Minnesota-Duluth Medical School.
“Working in Dr. C’s research lab taught me not only about the intricacies of research, but also how to adapt to an ever-changing plan,” she said. “This has helped me greatly as a medical student where the plan for a patient may change by the minute.
“She advised me not only on research and what classes to take but also life as she helped me pick a medical school that fit my personality and values.”
Another mentee, Taylor Schmit ’16 recently published an article as a first author in “The Journal of Infectious Diseases” as a Ph.D. student at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine.
Upon being published in June, she wrote to Cetkovic-Cvrilje thanking her for teaching the value of good research and how to present research well and giving her opportunities as an undergraduate researcher that aren’t available everywhere.
“It was such an honor to work with you those two years Dr. C,” she wrote. “You have positively impacted my life more than words can describe.”
Schmit’s goal is to one day teach at a regional university like St. Cloud State and run an undergraduate research lab to inspire students just as Cetkovic-Cvrlje does today.
Cetkovic-Cvrlje dedication is seen in her work with students throughout her career:
- 118 students mentored
- 54 grants to students
- 87 presentations with 20 award winners
- 5 student co-authored peer-reviewed publications
“Those numbers are a direct result of her consistent, underlying dedication to her learning-by-research mission,” Morrison said.
Cetkovic-Cvrlje earned her Ph.D. from the Medical School, University of Zagreb in Croatia.
Her research interests include immunology, autoimmunity — especially experimental type 1 diabetes, transplantation and Janus tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
She is one of three recipients of this year’s CUR Biology Division Mentor Awards. Jessica Malisch, assistant professor of physiology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, earned the early-career award, and Amelia Ahern-Rindell, associate professor of biology at the University of Portland, earned the advanced career award.