Cameron Weber, a first-year student majoring in biomathematics, has big goals. They plan on founding a nonprofit organization to help recruit more women to STEM, specifically in underprivileged areas of the country. When it came to choosing a college, they knew Rose-Hulman was the place to help turn that goal into a reality.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Weber chose biomathematics, which is a combination of biology, mathematics and computer science, because it’s like having a triple major in one.
“The biomathematics major is one of the reasons I came to Rose-Hulman,” says Weber. “I originally thought about studying biology; but if you go into a general science, you tend to need to go to graduate school before earning a living. But the biomathematics major makes me extremely marketable and will allow me to find a job when I graduate.”
Even in their first two quarters at Rose, Weber has already taken several lab classes and had the opportunity to use new, state-of-the-art equipment. They particularly enjoyed the hands-on and outdoor research aspect of the evolution and diversity course Weber took during their first quarter.
Being a biomathematics student is already proving beneficial to Weber’s future prospects. They have a summer internship lined up with a lab at Ohio State University where they will be shadowing a bioinformatics scientist. Bioinformatics is a subdiscipline of biology and computer science focused on the acquisition, storage, analysis and dissemination of biological data, primarily in DNA and amino acid sequences.
“I will be taking data the bioinformatic scientists create and use programs such as math equations and knowledge of biology to explain it and write reports so the lab scientists can understand what they found,” says Weber.
Weber admits being a first-year student at Rose-Hulman is extremely challenging but credits the professors and many resources on campus, including the Learning Center, with helping students prioritize their mental health and succeed in academics. They also believe one of the keys to success at Rose is learning to ask for help.
“The professors are so accessible,” Weber says. “If you ask them for help, they are more than happy to talk with you in office hours or set up an outside meeting. Recently, I emailed a professor at nine at night and he called me right away and we met for an hour. The professors want you to succeed.”
When it comes to finding one’s place at Rose-Hulman, Weber participates in the many clubs and organizations that give students various academic and non-academic outlets to explore.
“Even if you aren’t exactly sure where you fit in at college, there is a place for you at Rose,” says Weber. “You will find your people.”
They are a member of the track team, serve as vice president of Feminist Engineers’ Movement and a member of Unity, Rose-Hulman’s chapter of oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Additionally, Weber participated in sorority recruitment, which they found invaluable for making connections with other women and non-binary students.
Weber is also a Noblitt Scholar and will be creating the foundation for their future nonprofit organization as their Noblitt Scholar culminating project. They say having that opportunity is another big reason they knew Rose-Hulman was the right college choice.