By David Bishop
Staff Writer

As students near the end of their college career, there are usually two major concerns they have: the senior thesis and the internship. The internship is the point of the education process where the student gains hands-on experience for their future profession. Often times, it can lead to a job offering upon graduating. Those reasons motivate students to search hard for the perfect one.

Senior Kris Stanton is a chemistry major, minoring in math and computer science. He has been working summers for NASA since his freshman year. He credits the entire experience to his freshman chemistry professor, Dr. Larry Holmes.

“He noticed I sat in the front row and answered all his questions,” said Stanton. “He called me into his office one day and asked, ‘How would you like to work for NASA?’ I said ‘Sure,’ and the rest is history.”

The internships consisted of two phases: one at the University of Alabama at Huntsville and the other at the Marshall Space-Flight Center in Alabama. His first summer there, Stanton participated in biotechnology protein research with bacteria cultures.

“We launched samples into space in September 2000,” he said.

As most people would expect, Stanton feels that he learned a lot.

“In ten weeks of working in their labs, I got two years of what you learn in class. It’s an experience everyone should have that’s interested in that field,” Stanton said.

Stanton plans to attend grad school. He has applied to Huntsville School of Biotechnology and the Vanderbilt School of Nanotechnology in Tennessee. However, science is not his only interest. Stanton also plays drums for a local metal band, Forcefed. They have opened for GWAR at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach.

“It’s been a hard decision to choose between a science career and a music career,” he said. “I had to figure that out about a year ago.”

When asked what advice he has for students with similar aspirations, Stanton knowingly replied, “Go to class, pay attention, and let your professor know you’re paying attention. If it wasn’t for Dr. Holmes noticing me, it never would have happened.”