Soccer and Science, a Winning Formula for Teammates

At Carnegie Mellon University, teamwork doesn't just happen on the field for the nationally ranked women's soccer team. For three biological sciences majors, it follows them into the science lab. Senior Samantha Smith, a center defender on CMU's soccer team, is a member of Professor Jonathan Minden's 12-person "Proteomics Platoon" along with her soccer mates and fellow biology majors Haili Adams and Nicole Winegardner. The platoon of undergraduate researchers analyzes proteins to see if they can find changes that can be linked to various diseases, including cancer. All three share a passion to succeed in sports and science. Teammates on the field first, Smith joined Minden's lab as a sophomore, then as other positions in the research group became available she recommended that her teammates apply. "The love for the game translates really well to research," Smith said.