By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Dr. Mary Ali Oliver returned to where it all started for her last week.
The “it” is her educational journey, and that “it” is a path that continues to take her to great heights.
Oliver, a 2015 Union City High School graduate, visited Paige McMillan’s AP Biology class at UCHS on Friday, discussing embryo development, her job as a scientist at Virginia Tech University, and led students in the dissection of a cow’s uterus that she’ll use in her research.
“I fell in love with science when we did the rat dissection in Mrs. (Beverly) Dones’ class at Union City Middle School,” Mary Ali smiled while interacting with McMillan’s class.
Oliver was a well-rounded student at UCHS, a member of the cheerleading and volleyball squads, and the Pep Club. She spoke fondly of the complete Purple and Gold educational experience and praised McMillan’s AP students for their willingness to interact during her presentation and following the dissection.
She told students that while “cows and humans obviously aren’t exactly the same,” she hopes to use her research on embryos and the reproductive tract and apply it to women.
The daughter of Al and Laura Oliver, Mary Ali began her post-secondary education at the University of Tennessee, majoring in animal science and becoming involved in undergraduate research as a freshman.
She graduated from UTK in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Bioscience. In 2021, she earned a master’s degree in animal science with a concentration in Reproductive Physiology and a minor in Statistics.
Oliver then moved to Blacksburg (VA) for the next leg of her educational journey in 2021. This past December, she received her Doctorate in Animal Science with a concentration in Reproductive Biology from Virginia Tech.
While completing her doctorate last fall, she also taught Advanced Reproductive Techniques, Mammalian Embryology, and Contemporary Issues in Reproductive Biology classes at VT.
Mary Ali is returning to Virginia Tech for the next two years as a USDA NIFA Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the VT School of Animal Science.