Charlene Bashore looks at every opportunity as a learning experience. The biochemistry senior said practicing violin and volunteering has helped her become disciplined in her scientific research.
And now, USA Today named Bashore a member of the All-USA College Academic First Team — one of the top 20 students in the nation — for her academic and community contributions.
Bashore said the award is based on grades, leadership activities and the level of difficulty of projects that she’s completed, and she is glad to be in the company of other students on the list.
“It’s very exciting,” Bashore said. “You read the bios of people who make that list, and they’re pretty incredible, so I was pretty excited to be on the list as well.”
Bashore said her undergraduate research has focused on rapid DNA sequencing. She said the sequencing could eventually lead to treatment or cures for cancer or other diseases.
“To be able to come up with a fast and efficient method for DNA sequencing would be very helpful for screening people in finding mutations [in DNA] for cancer,” she said. “Or if someone were to be diagnosed, [one could] use the DNA sequencing to figure out what mutation causes cancer.”
Janet Burke, associate dean at Barrett, the Honors College, in which Bashore is enrolled, said she thinks Bashore’s contributions to science are commendable. She said she thinks Bashore’s work has already made an impact and will continue to do so.
“If she’s successful — and she will be, it’s just a matter of time — her research will be able to move medical treatments ahead so that people who are facing difficult disease problems will be able to get cures,” Burke said. “She’s doing some cutting-edge, really important stuff.”
While dedicating time to DNA research, Bashore said she still finds time to volunteer with nonprofit organizations.
Bashore is the president of Rotaract of ASU, a community-service club on campus, and recently worked on a silent auction to benefit Sustainable Resources Ltd., an organization working to build a school for women and children in Malawi.
Also, Bashore said she puts on chemistry demonstrations at schools and bookstores to show what science is all about — one of her favorite things to do.
“I essentially get to play with all the coolest chemistry reactions and talk to kids about it,” Bashore said. “It’s really cool because a lot of kids think science is boring and really hard and don’t really realize that science can be fun.”
Peter Williams, a chemistry professor of Bashore’s, said her contributions to science are just beginning and “she is going to be someone to watch in the future.” Williams said he believes the award from USA Today was well-deserved because of her involvement in a range of areas.
“She interacts easily with people and gets involved in a lot of service activities,” Williams said. “She does more things than I would have thought possible to do as a full-time student.”
And though Bashore said she is very busy — researching, volunteering and playing violin — she is dedicated to all that she is involved in. She said doing so many extra-curricular activities has helped her tremendously.
“The discipline it takes to practice violin, even when you sound terrible and you don’t think it’s very fun, also applies when you’re trying to organize research or a fundraising event,” Bashore said.
And though she is graduating next week and is off to University of California at Berkeley for graduate school, Bashore said she will never forget all she has learned in her undergraduate years at ASU.
“My favorite thing about ASU has been the variety of opportunities I’ve had,” Bashore said. “To go from research in the lab, to going swing dancing and then to a football game, ASU has offered me so much.”
Reach the reporter at abigail.gilmore@asu.edu.
