Rita Dill

Research Experience Leads to a Doctoral Fellowship

When Rita Dill looks back over her college experience – from two research trips in Africa to a two-year internship at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – she knows the relationships with her Bowie State University classmates and professors have made all the difference.

The graduating senior biology major is preparing for yet another extraordinary opportunity – she was selected for the highly competitive Dolphus E. Milligan Fellowship with a full-ride scholarship to join University of Maryland’s doctoral program in chemistry in fall 2020. As part of the award, she will participate in a summer internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Dill is one of 700 students set to graduate as part of Bowie State’s first-ever virtual commencement celebration on Friday, June 26 at 3 p.m. View it at bowiestate.edu/commencement.

She built her foundation in scientific research and prepared for graduate school with support from her professors, especially Assistant Professor Anne Osano, who is a noted plant scientist whose recent work investigates the nutritional benefits of native African plants.

“People really look out for you here. I will never get this experience anywhere else. I have these incredible interactions with professors on such a personal level,” she said. “The trips I’ve taken and things I’ve gotten to see and be a part of, I have the best memories at Bowie.”

Her first BSU biology course introduced Dill to research through the First in the World program. That started her on a journey to travel the world. She connected with Dr. Osano, who helped her get the USDA internship, participate in two research trips in Kenya and present her research at national conferences. Now, she works as a student lab assistant in Dr. Osano’s lab, located next to the greenhouse in the Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing. More than all of her life-changing BSU experiences, Dill’s relationships have sustained her, especially those with her fellow lab assistants.

“I work with the best team,” she said. “These people are my best friends. They’re like my siblings.”

Envisioning her future after doctoral study, she hopes to use her gift for scientific research to work on a project with global impact.

“I really believe that God is painting this mosaic of my life,”she said. "I'm really just trusting God to show me my next step."