Claire Buchta, a second-year graduate student in immunology, is making a career out of something she loves—the development of cellular vaccines. Buchta conducts research in Professor Gail Bishop’s lab, where the focus is on using B lymphocytes as the target cell in a cellular vaccine.

This type of vaccine would utilize the body’s own cells as a vaccine vehicle, allowing for an individualized vaccine that could target infectious agents or cancer. "The Immunology Program at The University of Iowa is one of the best in the nation, and I enjoy the collaborative atmosphere and the opportunity to learn from world-renowned researchers,” said Buchta, a native of La Crosse, WI, who did her undergraduate studies at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN.