An Rx for Excellence: Alumnus Peter Foerster ‘22

Alumnus Peter Foerster, B.S. ‘22, fondly recalls that his parents gave him the unique gift of a microscope when he was young. He remembers being fascinated with it and wanting to examine the scientific world in greater detail.   

Fast forward to his high school years, the South Florida native found himself enrolled – and enjoying – multiple science AP and honors classes. He graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and quickly became immersed in Florida Atlantic’s science offerings. 

During his sophomore year, Foerster began working in the Tiny Earth Lab as an assistant, where he conducted research supporting the discovery of novel antibiotics. During his junior year of undergrad, he started up his own research project on treating bacterial tomato spot disease with bacteriophages and cations.  

“I recruited two of my friends to help me carry out the research,” shared Foerster. “We received funding from Florida Atlantic and had the amazing opportunity to present our findings at the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry’s annual symposium. I am very grateful for that.”   

As an undergraduate, his mentor was Diane Baronas-Lowell, Ph.D., an affiliate scientist within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. She was Foerster’s principal investigator who initially hired him.   

“Dr. Baronas-Lowell was very supportive of my journey, and because of that I am so thankful,” expressed Foerster. “She was there every step of the way and cared for every member of our lab.”  

Outside of the lab, Foerster could be found on the tennis court. He made many of his closest friends from Florida Atlantic’s club tennis team, and together they competed in multiple tournaments across the state. Foerster was also an active member of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) on campus.  

After Foerster received his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and a certificate in biotechnology in spring 2022, he decided to take a gap year. A friend Foerster met in his biostatistics class sophomore year helped him land a job as a Publix pharmacy technician. That same friend ended up attending the University of Florida’s Pharm.D. program, which was a big motivation for Foerster to apply there, too, along with much encouragement from his Publix co-workers.   

Today, Foerster is in his second year of UF’s Pharm.D. program in Gainesville. While his precise direction is yet to be determined, he is still very set on pursuing a career in research.  

“My goal is to serve and help the community as best as I can while living my passion,” stated Foerster. “Having worked in retail pharmacy, I have learned that pharmacists provide a critical, mediating role in health care. I strive to help patients the best I can because medicine is an extraordinarily complex field. Plus, it is always a great feeling to help people, particularly those in need.”