Dillon Donaghy prefers his education with a view, so he took his studies to Europe this summer for education abroad.
Donaghy has spent his summer interning at the University of Reading in England, where he is researching platelet-mediated blood coagulation, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. His research is specifically focused on preventing the inappropriate formation of blood clots.
“I’ve gotten a lot of lab experience over the past two years at CSU, and that has allowed me to get into my lab here, ready to learn and start actively contributing to the research being done in the lab,” said Donaghy, a senior in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology.
On the weekends, Donaghy leaves the lab to explore England, and was busy backpacking around Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland during this interview. At the end of his internship, Donaghy plans to spend a week in Germany and Austria to round out his two-month trip 4,612 miles away from home.
“Dillon is dedicated to making a positive impact on the world through science,” said Megan Kosovski, Donaghy’s academic advisor. “Dillon consistently exhibits maturity, professionalism, and an eagerness to embrace new experiences. His enthusiasm and passion for helping others is unmatched and he is truly an inspiration to new and continuing students.”
The outdoor enthusiast grew up on a farm in Wiggins, Colo. For those about to Google where Wiggins is, the 893-person town is located west of Fort Morgan. His family’s farm had every type of animal, even miniature ponies so small that Donaghy’s 7-year-old cousin was too big to ride them.
When choosing colleges his senior year of high school, CSU rose to the top of his list after he visited campus and found his match. “I fell in love with it. My tour of campus was all I needed to see how much I wanted to be a Ram,” Donaghy said. “I would never go back to make a different decision about that.”
Upon graduation in 2020, Donaghy plans to attend graduate school, and then get his Ph.D. and pursue a career as a university researcher and professor.
“It’s thanks to my experience at CSU that I may even be able to get my name on a published scientific journal article by the end of this internship,” Donaghy said.
