Max Johnson knew a smaller campus community was where he needed to be. Originally from Spokane, Washington, he wanted to experience Southern California. This brought him to the University of San Diego.
A recent graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences, this biology major spent much of his time on campus focusing on student research. Along with Nicole Danos, PhD, an assistant professor of biology, Johnson studied frogs from Papua New Guinea to learn how adaptation to habitat is driving the species’ evolution. Tracking the swimming performance of the frogs, Johnson set out to better understand how rich biodiversity results from differences in biomechanics.
For Johnson, this experience has directly connected to his career goals. Interested in going to medical school in fall 2022, Johnson is taking a gap year to pursue research at Northwest Ohio Medical University. There, he will focus on dysphagia, which is difficulty in swallowing especially as it relates to pre-term birth, applying the research and skills he began in the Danos lab.
— Allyson Meyer ’16 (BA), ’21 (MBA)