Starbucks Barista Trades in Apron for Lab Coat

Ask Nicholas Stickel why he feels prepared for the rigors of medical school, and he’ll talk about his lab research on how insulin functions in the brain at Rutgers—Camden. The graduating Rutgers—Camden student certainly will discuss his experience at Atlantic Medical Center studying how antibiotics function after weight loss surgery, as well as his advanced biology classes at Rutgers—Camden.

And then there’s working at the on-campus Starbucks.

While earning his undergraduate degree in biology at Rutgers—Camden, Stickel learned as a barista at the campus Starbucks to quickly decipher customers’ varied orders into a language that yielded efficient results. “Being a Starbucks barista taught me organization. I sort out orders and put them into a code we can understand and process; it’s remarkable how often that same concept applies in the human body,” says Stickel, who recently took his MCAT exam and plans to apply to medical school at the University of Vermont.

The Ocean City resident may not talk about his research on insulin and non-invasive weight loss surgery while he’s preparing a Venti Caramel Macchiato, but his findings could impact those with diabetes or planning on undergoing gastric bypass. He presented his research titled “Affects of Insulin on GABA-A Receptor” during the 2008 Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity poster fair at Rutgers—Camden.

As an undergraduate, with supervision from Dr. Joseph Martin, a professor of biology at Rutgers—Camden, Stickel managed several tedious processes of research, including performing animal surgeries, preparing various solutions, surveying results over seven-hour time periods, and operating a scintillation counter, which measures radiation. “Science recently found out that insulin can bypass the blood brain barrier, my research expands on the fact that insulin in the brain can determine psychological effects elsewhere in the body, like seizures.”

Stickel will receive his Rutgers—Camden bachelor’s degree during a 6 p.m. commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 22, but he originally planned to attend the Rutgers—New Brunswick campus. “I liked the close community here. It was a cool place, so I decided to stay, and I’m glad I did,” says the avid rock climber, who plans to travel to New England for a tour of mountain climbing after conquering the commencement march.

Information about Commencement 2008