Dima Tokar
Dmitriy Tokar ('10) is always up for a challenge. Dima, who pursued double degrees in Microbiology and Finance, hopes to combine his passion for science, IT, and business to bridge the gap between business and science. When he first came to UMass Amherst, Dima planned to study computer science, but once he saw the range of majors available, he decided he wanted to test himself. "I realized that I could get a lot more out of studying things I didn't already know pretty well," Dima says, and changed his major to Microbiology. (Story continued below slideshow.)
Dima's gamble paid off—the summer of his sophomore year, he was selected to join 20 scientists to live and work for three weeks on the Research Vessel Atlantis. From the ship, experts deployed Alvin, a deep-sea submarine, to gather water and rock samples from hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists believe the conditions in and around these vents mimic those of early Earth, and, Dima says, "It's likely that these microbes are very representative of the organisms of the past."
His senior year, Dima was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Junior Fellow as part of a prestigious program that supports the research of outstanding seniors majoring in the life sciences. Starting his sophomore year, Dima was an undergraduate member of the research team in Professor Jim Holden's Hyperthermophile Research Group. There, Dima studied "heat-loving microbes" found near hydrothermal vents like the ones sampled by Alvin. Dima says that the range of research opportunities for undergraduates is one of the best things about UMass Amherst. "All you have to do is go out and get involved," he advises.
Dima feels that working in the lab has made him a better critical thinker when it comes to making both everyday and business decisions. Dima, who moved from Kiev, Ukraine to Brookline, Massachusetts in 1997, got involved in information technology in the 7th grade. In high school, he built Websites for his high school and other non-profit organizations. When not in the lab, Dima continued to manage Websites for businesses and organizations, including several on campus. Dima's interest in business grew out of his fascination with computers, and he believes that his technology skills also influence how he approaches work in the lab; he's developed a keen ability to approach challenges with "the computer way" in mind.
Currently, Dima works for a financial services software company in Boston, where he sets up electronic trading connections that make up financial networks. "I work with several UMass graduates," he says, and I there (maybe something you can mention). I (and several other UMass grads) work in a demanding, high-paced and highly competitive industry," he says, "and I rely on what I learned at UMass day in and day out." Dima looks forward to appying to top-tier MBA programs "to further develop my entrepreneurial spirit and my interest in green, high-tech and biotech industries."
—KA
