Alum Spotlight
Paying Forward an Opportunity
- September 30, 2026
Donald Brooks, MDI Bio Lab Class of 2013
I came to MDI Bio Lab as a Summer Student Fellow in 2013, just after graduating from high school and before I had fully understood what a life in science could look like. I was from rural Maine, early in my training, and still trying to imagine the kind of future I might build. The fellowship gave me my first real experience of research as something lived day to day. I learned what it felt like to work in a lab, to be trusted with a project, to ask questions that did not already have answers, and to feel that the scientific path I was already drawn toward was real and worth pursuing.
That summer helped me see science up close. It was hands-on, iterative and collaborative. It showed me the discipline of asking a question, designing an approach, working through uncertainty, and learning from results that did not always arrive neatly or immediately. Just as importantly, it helped me see scientists as people building meaningful careers around curiosity, rigor, mentorship and discovery.
The experience became an important spark for the path I followed afterward. It helped confirm my decision to study molecular and cellular biology as an undergraduate at Harvard, and gave me the confidence to work in an immunology lab throughout those four years. My scientific work has since moved from laboratory-based biomedical research toward more applied science, in particular infectious disease epidemiology and public health, with a focus on disease transmission modeling, vaccines and epidemic preparedness. Still, the foundation I built through early laboratory experience has stayed with me. Even now, as I return to wet lab work in the context of my Ph.D., I recognize how much that early exposure mattered. MDI Bio Lab helped lay the foundation for the fluency and confidence I have since developed in scientific spaces.
This is one reason I chose to become a monthly donor.
MDI Bio Lab gave a great deal to me at a formative stage, and I want to give back in a way that helps provide steady, sustainable support for the Lab and its training mission. The opportunity I had there was deeply constructive, and I want other young people, especially students from Maine, to have access to the same kind of experience.
I also believe MDI Bio Lab plays an important role beyond any one student’s story. It is an anchor in Maine’s biomedical research and development landscape, a place where young scientists are trained, discovery is advanced and Maine’s scientific capacity is strengthened. Supporting MDI Bio Lab means supporting biomedical discovery, but it also means supporting opportunity, mentorship, and the idea that world-class science can and should have a strong home in Maine.
The Catalysts Circle is a growing group of monthly donors who believe in science, education and the power of small gifts to fuel long-term change. If you’ve ever thought about supporting MDI Bio Lab, or giving back to a program that shaped your path, this is your moment.
Join the Catalysts Circle and be part of the future we’re building together.