{"id":76857,"date":"2026-05-07T08:59:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T12:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=76857"},"modified":"2026-05-09T17:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:05:11","slug":"zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/","title":{"rendered":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Zayda

Zayda Dominick will pursue a doctoral degree after graduation. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for graduating senior Zayda Dominick to find her place on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, May 9, she will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.<\/p>\n

Many students might find it intimidating to talk to their school\u2019s chancellor, but not her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had approached the chancellor of the University, Steve Angle, at the time,\u201d said Dr. Keenan Dungey, head of the Department of Chemistry. \u201cHe is a chemist and, as a freshman, she was like, \u2018I want to get involved. How can I get involved in science more as a freshman biochemistry major?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Angle recommended that she talk with Dr. Ben Stein, who was an assistant professor of biochemistry in the department at the time. And so as a freshman, she got to go into his research lab and start learning some biochemistry research techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Dominick was eager to find her passion on campus, she wasn\u2019t sure at first what to pursue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came into college having no idea what I wanted to do,\u201d she said. \u201cThe only thing that I knew was that I liked science. I thought chemistry was cool. I liked biology. I thought maybe I could study biochemistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to try anything and everything throughout college. Along the way, whenever I got involved in research and a lot of my science classes, I realized, \u2018This is really cool.\u2019 I want to keep doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2026 stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

Dominick conducted research with Stein for two years. During that time, she learned a range of laboratory procedures and techniques and contributed to academic writing.<\/p>\n

Stein described himself as a \u201cresource\u201d for Dominick, helping her with her technical research, scientific communication and reasoning skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was struck by Zayda\u2019s determination and curiosity,\u201d said Stein, who now teaches at the College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts. \u201cWhen I first met with Zayda, she told me that she was interested in a research career and had already started looking into my research projects, despite not having yet taken many of the relevant college courses. She read some of my research papers and even proposed possible experiments. I immediately knew that she needed to get into the lab as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominick still keeps in contact with Stein.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my very first research professor,\u201d she said. \u201cI still message him all the time. I send him pretty much all my posters, all my stuff, and he even helped me write my CV.\u201d<\/p>\n

This support wasn\u2019t unusual for the UTC Department of Chemistry, Dominick explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of support, especially from the chemistry department,\u201d she explained. \u201cEvery single professor in the chemistry department was so helpful in getting me involved, helping me with my research, and helping me learn how to do posters and how to present well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zayda

Zayda Dominick was a member of the pre-med society and part of the chemistry club.<\/p><\/div>\n

UC Foundation Associate Professor of Chemistry Jared Pienkos was another professor who conducted research with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best memories of Zayda are from the freshman class intro to chemistry,\u201d he recalled. \u201cZayda sat in the front row. I still remember it was the left side of the classroom. Every time I asked a question, her hand would just shoot up. She was always like, \u2018I want to answer this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was wonderful as an instructor to have someone so willing to jump on answering questions or just so engaged at that level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dominick recalled visiting UTC before deciding to attend and said the community and support drew her to the campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI drove here by myself and talked to some of the students; that\u2019s what ended up making me choose this place,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the culture. Honestly, I didn\u2019t really look much into anything else. It was that all the students I met were extremely nice. Every student I met here really liked it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working with the department, Dominick has presented at multiple conferences across the country and won awards throughout her time as an undergrad. She will continue her research at the University of Louisville, where she was accepted into the Ph.D. program.<\/p>\n

She plans to get her doctorate in immunology and microbiology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually want to take what I learned at UTC to my graduate program,\u201d Dominick said. \u201cI want to study host-pathogen interactions. My goal is to study how the proteins involved in our immune system interact with pathogens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her ultimate goal is to teach, wanting to become a professor and conduct research in the medical field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy I made the decision to come here,\u201d Dominick said. \u201cHonestly, I think it was the best decision that I could have made for my undergrad because I got a great experience here, being able to explore my interests in a welcoming environment where I felt like I could explore all those interests very freely as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

UTC Department of Chemistry<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2058,"featured_media":76863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123864,123865,48128,61,7712,286,48007,661],"tags":[122229,126926,123827,123826,127069,127072,122894,122365,123828,124776,123829,10180,123591],"class_list":{"0":"post-76857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-biology-geology-and-environmental-science","10":"category-chemistry-physics","11":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-news","14":"category-psychology","15":"category-research-academics","16":"category-students","17":"tag-ben-stein","18":"tag-commencement-2026","19":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","20":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","21":"tag-goal-1-2-enhance-learner-success-strategic-plan-2030","22":"tag-goal-3-1-innovative-and-impactful-research-strategic-plan-2030","23":"tag-jared-pienkos","24":"tag-keenan-dungey","25":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","26":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","27":"tag-operating-with-excellence","28":"tag-steve-angle","29":"tag-zayda-dominick","30":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nZayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"625\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carter Graham\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carter Graham\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"headline\":\"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":903,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Ben Stein\",\"Commencement 2026\",\"Creating the Mocs Experience\",\"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation\",\"Goal 1.2 - Enhance Learner Success - Strategic Plan 2030\",\"Goal 3.1 - Innovative and Impactful Research - Strategic Plan 2030\",\"Jared Pienkos\",\"Keenan Dungey\",\"Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University\",\"Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"Steve Angle\",\"Zayda Dominick\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science\",\"Chemistry and Physics\",\"College of Arts and Sciences\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"News\",\"Psychology\",\"Research\",\"Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\"},\"description\":\"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/9\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1\",\"width\":625,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Zayda Dominick stands April 10, 2026 in Grote Hall.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb\",\"name\":\"Carter Graham\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Carter Graham\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/dfl237\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News","description":"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News","og_description":"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/","og_site_name":"UTC News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":625,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Carter Graham","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carter Graham","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/"},"author":{"name":"Carter Graham","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb"},"headline":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning","datePublished":"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/"},"wordCount":903,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1","keywords":["Ben Stein","Commencement 2026","Creating the Mocs Experience","Cultivating a Culture of Innovation","Goal 1.2 - Enhance Learner Success - Strategic Plan 2030","Goal 3.1 - Innovative and Impactful Research - Strategic Plan 2030","Jared Pienkos","Keenan Dungey","Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University","Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead","Operating with Excellence","Steve Angle","Zayda Dominick"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science","Chemistry and Physics","College of Arts and Sciences","Faculty and Staff","News","Psychology","Research","Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/","name":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning | UTC News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-05-07T12:59:47+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-09T21:05:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb"},"description":"On Saturday, May 9, Zayda Dominick will graduate with a degree in biochemistry with minors in psychology and biology. Before deciding on biochemistry, Dominick asked Chancellor Emeritus Steven Angle, a chemistry professor, for advice at an accepted student event.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1","width":625,"height":400,"caption":"Zayda Dominick stands April 10, 2026 in Grote Hall."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/zayda-dominick-is-graduating-but-her-research-is-just-beginning\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Zayda Dominick is graduating, but her research is just beginning"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/1b0f2dbb1c380cadad48feb10729eebb","name":"Carter Graham","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d61df1fee2e9ca6aa937a72b1155dd60503f86eb0efe8ecb7f8e0f1f718ce8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Carter Graham"},"url":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/dfl237\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Carter Graham","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/author\/dfl237\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.utc.edu\/app\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/05\/ZaydaFeat.jpg?fit=625%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2058"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76857"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76869,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76857\/revisions\/76869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}