![\"white](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2024\/10\/Olivia-Longsworth-25-400-new-crop.jpg\")
Olivia Longsworth \u201925. Photo: Nathan Gray.<\/p><\/div>\n
Olivia Longsworth \u201925 worked in his lab every summer through college. The lab was a safe, collaborative space for her first research experience. And because most student researchers were undergraduates, there was no worry about PhD candidates or post-doctoral students doing the heavy lifting and leaving limited work for younger students.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a really enjoyable way to connect to students that were older than me,\u201d Longsworth said.<\/p>\n
Shields encourages his students to work together and thinks there are fewer barriers to them asking each other questions than asking him. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself to be real warm and fuzzy,\u201d Shields said.<\/p>\n
His students beg to differ.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is, in the best way, very hands-off,\u201d Longsworth said. \u201cHe is there to guide you and to point you in the right direction. \u2026 But he is just excited to watch you shine. He wants to see you grow as an individual and a scientist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shields regularly has four or five projects underway in his lab. Students conducting different research use the same techniques but don\u2019t always know about each other\u2019s projects. \u201cBreaking down those barriers with some sort of social interaction is really important,\u201d he said. Cue the annual Iron Chemist competition, featuring high-stakes contests of bowling and ping pong.<\/p>\n
Chemistry majors are required to complete one cycle of research before graduation. \u201cMost people enjoy it so much, they just stay on,\u201d Harold said.<\/p>\n
Longsworth came to Furman planning to major in chemistry, a class she\u2019d loved in high school. But she didn\u2019t have a clear picture of her future: research? medicine? private research and development?<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really lucky to have a lot of opportunities to flesh that out at Furman,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Shadowing experiences were a key to her decision to pursue medical school. That and watching her friend, Harold, blaze the trail.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to see what her life looked like as a [medical] student,\u201d said Longsworth, who is now in her first year at USC School of Medicine Greenville.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe content is hard and the volume is even harder,\u201d she said. \u201cNothing can really prepare you, but I feel very confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her confidence rests in the fact that whatever the next challenge, she\u2019s ready to meet it. \u201cFurman has instilled in me the critical thinking skills and the reasoning skills,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Because of COVID restrictions, Harold couldn\u2019t have in-person hospital experiences until her senior year. That led her to hold off on a medical school decision. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to commit to it before I had shadowed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Shadowing made the decision; Harold knew for sure that med school would be her next step. But she was midway through a project with Shields and knew the process of applying would take the better part of a year. She decided to pursue a master\u2019s degree while completing her research and working on applications.<\/p>\n
Her time with Shields was deeply influential. The professor gives students the chance to choose and shape projects as well as author papers. \u201cThings that are really unusual for an undergraduate level of research,\u201d Harold said.<\/p>\n
He also gave older students the opportunity to mentor younger students. \u201cI could pass on what I learned to Olivia,\u201d Harold said.<\/p>\n
Longsworth said her favorite memories from Furman all come from summers in the Shields Group lab. \u201cLooking back, that was a highlight of my experience,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s there cheering you on. It is really one big family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shields said both women were \u201csuperstars\u201d in his lab.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of all of them,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the secrets of being a great teacher is to really like your students.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he does.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just more quiet about it,\u201d Shields said.<\/p>\n
Harold worked in the lab with him until the week before she started medical school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy with where everything ended up and Dr. Shields was a huge part of that,\u201d Harold said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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