Cream of the crop sprouts from GVSU's new Professional Science master's Program

Many of his fellow students were half his age. Much of the technology had changed since he finished his undergraduate degree—in 1977. Yet in April, 53-year-old Grand Valley State University student Ed Wheeler completed his master's degree in cell and molecular biology, picked up some honors, and then headed back to the blueberry fields in Grand Junction, Mich.

“The technology being used today was just beginning to be developed when I studied genetics and botany as an undergrad,” said Wheeler. “Though I spent 25 years as a vegetable breeder in Idaho, I couldn’t keep up with the new biotechnology available today.”

Wheeler returned to West Michigan in 2003 to take a position as breeder and project manager for Berry Blue LLC and MBG Marketing, a grower-owned cooperative located west of Kalamazoo, with one of the largest blueberry breeding operations in the world. He heard about the Professional Science Master’s Program developed by Grand Valley in 2005/2006, and found it to be a good fit for his needs.

Developed to provide scientists with the academic and professional skills to effectively bridge science and business the program offers master’s degrees in three areas: medical & bioinformatics; cell & molecular biology; and biostatistics. Each degree is noted for small class sizes, a cross-disciplinary approach and an industry internship instead of a master’s thesis.

“I was very fortunate to do my internship studying blueberry DNA under Dr. Jim Hancock in the Fruit Genetics Lab at Michigan State University,” said Wheeler. “I was able to do it one day a week over four semesters, which is a bit unusual.”

Wheeler said his professors were very helpful and welcomed the knowledge and experience he brought to the classroom as a mature student. “At first I was quite self-conscious about the age differences, but I was put at ease very quickly.”

Not only did Wheeler excel in his classes, he was named Outstanding Graduate Student, received the Graduate Dean Citation for Academic Excellence and was inducted into the college’s Phi Kappa Phi honors society.

“I was humbled and a bit embarrassed by all the attention,” said Wheeler, who is still shy about his success.

For more information about Grand Valley State University's Professional Science Master's Program contact Dave Elrod, Director, at (616) 331-2495 or [email protected].