Chancellor’s Award: David Bunn

Undergrad Research Propelled Bio Major Toward Career in Medicine

Biology major David Bunn took advantage of the many research opportunities at UAlbany. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 25, 2017) — Biology major David Bunn is a member of the Honors College, Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest academic honor society — and Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society. He has served on the Residential Life Advisory Board and on the Biology Department’s Graduate Recruitment Committee to help diversify its graduate program.

Bunn, who is from Amityville on Long Island, plans to become a doctor. He’s been accepted to medical schools at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Cornell universities.

At UAlbany, he figures he has tutored more than 200 other students in chemistry and physics over the years, something he calls an honor. But it’s been the chance to do research that has really led him to excel, Bunn says. His UAlbany research, including work at the RNA Institute, led to research opportunities at Weill Cornell Medical College and the University of California San Diego, and brought him to national conferences.

Bunn accepts his Chancellor's Award from SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and UAlbany's Interim President James Stellar.

Bunn presented his research on the treatment of plasma cell malignancies at the 2016 statewide Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, winning first place for his oral presentation in the Natural Sciences Upper Division II category.

“When we come to college… what we’re really coming for is not simply just our degree but a new way of thinking, and how to apply our knowledge critically,” Bunn said. “I feel like engaging in research allows you to kind of take a step back objectively and really look at the pieces and puzzles and be able to apply it to a new setting.”

It’s no wonder that Bunn’s favorite course at UAlbany was ABIO 399, Research for Supervised Juniors in the Biology Department. “This course has taught me to think critically, abstractly and to not accept everything at face value, but to really question the problem at hand to gain a deeper knowledge of the subject,” he said.

Bunn sees himself building on what he learned at UAlbany in medical school, and later in his career. “As a physician, I hope to be making a difference in the communities in which I practice, prioritizing patient care in the clinical setting, and to be a contributing member in the advancement of medicine,” he said.

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