Goals and Growth: Reflections of Graduating Undergraduate Researcher Joel Edouard

Stellar senior Joel Edouard is poised to graduate in May with a major in biological sciences and a minor in health administration. As graduation day draws closer, Edouard reflected on the many opportunities he was able to participate in. But one among them stands out—being part of the first cohort of Florida Atlantic’s Microbiome Innovation Cluster (MIC). 

“The MIC lab was such an incredible opportunity. It opened so many doors to me as an undergraduate,” shared Edouard. “With the guidance of Dr. Esiobu, I studied citrus microbiomes to combat the devastating citrus greening disease that has affected Florida’s once $7 billion industry. I was also able to share my research recently at a conference in March in the United Kingdom.” 

The MIC was established by Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D., project director, professor of biological sciences, and director of the Esiobu Microbial Biotech Laboratory within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. The MIC is the first-of-its-kind in South Florida and aims to address the complex challenges facing traditional agriculture and declining interest of the next generation in food, agriculture and natural resources careers. 

“Now that I am near the end of my time at the university, I find myself connecting many of the lessons I have learned to the stories she tells,” noted Edouard. “Dr. Esiobu did not just teach laboratory techniques, she taught important values that I will carry with me far past my time in her lab.”  

Edouard’s status as a MIC lab member helped him land a coveted internship. For 10 weeks last summer, he had the incredible opportunity to intern at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a part of the Summer Urological Research Experience (SURE) cohort, a subgroup of the Basic Sciences Summer Internship (BSI) program. He was placed within a cancer ecology lab that investigated cancer resistance mechanisms to therapeutics. 

“Being at Johns Hopkins was a phenomenal opportunity,” shared Edouard. “From performing prostate and breast cancer research, to observing operations, I was even able to perform procedures on realistic models while using surgical instruments like the Da Vinci. The overall experience reinforced my goal of becoming a doctor.”   

The MIC also allowed for the creation of the Florida Atlantic OWL MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) club, of which Edouard serves as the group’s first president. The organization aims to promote academic and professional advancement activities like career fairs and networking opportunities.  

Among his other accomplishments, Edouard is a John Nambu Memorial Research Fellow at the Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute in Jupiter. He is also a member of the Medi-Futures program and serves as a certified College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Master Tutor within the university’s Center for Learning and Academic Success (CLASS). In February, Edouard joined the student delegation for Florida Atlantic Day at the Capitol to advocate for the university’s research programs. In addition, he has been named to both the President’s and Dean’s Lists numerous times.  

Following his graduation in May, Edouard hopes to attend medical school and specialize in neurology.