Notable graduates: Krista Stewart — Collaborating her passion for music with a fervor for research

Krista Stewart, a UW–Madison senior majoring in molecular biology, has not only managed to graduate in two-and-a-half years with a bachelor degree, but also has managed to juggle her intensive undergraduate research with her love for music.

Stewart will be attending medical school at UW–Madison in the fall. Additionally, she entered the university a semester early, at the age of 17, and has been playing with the UW Symphony Orchestra and taking college classes since high school.

“I have been able to connect my passion for science and music,” Stewart says, “something that I had been struggling with before I came to the university.”

Although she only plays music as a pasttime, she has used her talents to connect science and music on campus. For example, she has performed in a concert, “Concert at Chemistry,” in collaboration with the Wisconsin Initiative to promote the creative side of science.

Meanwhile, Stewart has received two Hilldale grants to fund research on spinal cord injury. She will continue her current research in a central nervous system regeneration lab while in medical school.

“My main focus is to learn to be the best doctor I can be,” Stewart says. “I’ve been doing research in the Department of Neurosurgery, so I’m really interested in neurosurgery.”

In the future, Stewart plans to pursue a residency program in neurosurgery, followed by clinical practice while doing research on the side.

“I’m always excited in my research when I get a good result or when I find something new,” she says. “That’s always super gratifying for me because I know that it’s meaningful to so many people.”

For Stewart, UW–Madison was the ideal university for her studies, especially based on its strong reputation for research. Recently, Stewart presented her research at a National American Association of Neurological Surgeons pediatric section meeting where she was the only undergraduate in attendance.

“I think this campus is really strong on research, and that’s why I was able to go there,” she adds. “I think the knowledge I gained here is unparalleled from anywhere else I would have gone.”