![Student Alexis Slack smiling in front of her 3D modeling work.](/-/media/Project/USD/DotEdu/Academics/Undergraduate-Programs/Arts-and-Sciences/Conservation-and-Biodiversity/BODY-210608_Alexis-Slack_0006.jpg?rev=f9965f09e9a04960b89a16b736cb61aa&sc_lang=en&w=400&la=en&hash=F2CE2BDC619D00DC5CF9FC405C965198)
Hear from a USD Alum
![Success story Carrie Eckert smiling.](/-/media/Project/USD/shared/Success-Stories/SS-Carrie_Eckert.jpg?rev=7aae82d4351b4ee8b60f580916bc4147&sc_lang=en&w=350&la=en&hash=C021164B6071EE2B1B29E303BC06CACD)
The biology department staff was very supportive. Afterwards, I worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Colorado, Boulder before being recently recruited to lead a new synthetic biology group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. My base education in biology and training in a research lab prepared me for graduate school and beyond.
Carrie Eckert