In a campus of engineering junkies, students of medical interest can find their group with the Society of Medical Laboratory Scientists (SMLS). SMLS is a registered student organization that holds bi-weekly meetings on Wednesdays in Fisher 131 at 6 p.m. Throughout the year, SMLS hosts blood drives, bake sales near holidays, and even craft nights, such as, “paint a blood cell.”
Marissa Ritter, the club’s president of SMLS, wants readers to know, “our club is not just for Medical Lab Science majors. We have engineers!” In addition, the organization participates in the annual CellBowl competition. Ritter proudly said, “one of our top scorers wasn’t even an MLS major!”
Each year, SMLS sends highly dedicated students to attend a yearly conference called The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). ASCLS is a way for medically interested individuals to create a strong network within the medical laboratory science field and attend specialized lectures.
With the semester coming to a close, SMLS is hosting one last blood drive on Apr. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. SMLS works closely with the UP Health System Marquette to ensure all blood donations stay within the UP. Ritter said that individuals who donated whole blood at the February American Red Cross blood drive are eligible to donate again. This is a great way to give back to the community, as one donation can save up to three lives.
Ritter stresses, “eat a snack beforehand [and] drink a ton of water the week before.” If you are interested in donating blood, please see the flyers around campus or contact Marissa Ritter at mjritter@mtu.edu if you have any questions. For more information on the blood drive, please see The Lode’s article, “Blood drive to support local UP hospitals open to the community” on mtulode.com.
