Conducting biomedical research in one of the world’s most renowned scientific laboratories by day and sampling the exciting culture of Paris by night? Yes, please.
Mary Baldwin junior Brooke Wiles, a Global Honors Scholar and biology major from Allen Park, Michigan, will experience this incredible opportunity this summer as one of only a handful of American students chosen for a 10-week internship at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.
Wiles’ interest is in biomedical science, specifically immunology, and working in Pasteur’s Molecular Retrovirology Unit will stimulate that curiosity, as she conducts research related to a group of endogenous human DNA mutator enzymes.
Also a philosophy minor, Wiles previous studied abroad in Switzerland and in the Netherlands as part of a Modern Political Thought course.
“I am very interested in learning about other countries and traveling abroad,” Wiles said. Last May Term I spent two weeks in Amsterdam and Geneva. This course showed me how much I enjoyed learning abroad and is what prompted me to look for international internships.”
“Brooke is an enthusiastic and intelligent student who has a great attitude about learning and who has extremely high standards for the quality of scholastic work that she produces,” said Maria Craig, assistant professor of biology. “She approaches projects and opportunities with a sense of responsibility and maturity, and I believe that this showed in her application to the Pasteur program. Brooke’s work in my Organic Chemistry courses has been exceptional in terms of the rare precision with which she answers exam questions as well as her written explanation of scientific concepts and techniques.”
Wiles’ impressive level of scholarship was recognized at Honors Convocation when it was announced that she has been tapped for induction to Phi Beta Kappa, a rare distinction for a junior. Wiles hopes to forge a career in medical research, and she plans to attend an MD/PhD program after graduation. 
Wiles is in Mary Baldwin’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, which offers an opportunity for bright and accomplished young women between the ages of 13 and 15 to bypass all or some of their high school grades to pursue an undergraduate degree.
Founded in 1887 by Louis Pasteur and located in the heart of Paris, the Institut Pasteur is one of the world’s leading biomedical research organizations. With more than 130 laboratories and 2,600 people on campus, it is a vibrant, international community devoted to basic scientific research.