From poison plants to dairy proteins: A Boise State researcher’s unexpected journey

Madison Dirks (MS, chemistry, 2021; MS, biomolecular sciences, 2024; PhD, biomolecular sciences, 2026) came to Boise State in 2019 from her hometown of Richland, Washington, to study poisonous plants.

Today, she's helping revolutionize how we understand proteins in our milk. The journey between those areas of study was more of a leap than a linear path.

As a doctoral student, Dirks dove into natural products chemistry, researching Veratrum californicum. This highly toxic, six-foot-tall, corn-like plant can cause birth defects in livestock when grazed during early pregnancy. When she finished her master's, a surprising opportunity came along thanks to Owen McDougal, a chemistry professor and her mentor - the chance to pursue a degree focused on dairy research, a turn from everything she had studied so far.

Her hesitation gave way to intrigue. Through Boise State's Food and Dairy Innovation Center and its connection to the BUILD Dairy program - a consortium of universities supporting dairy research - Dirks began studying glycomacropeptide, a whey protein with promising health benefits for people, including acting as an antiviral, supporting healthy bones and reducing inflammation.

Dirks focused on a particularly complex question: how to measure a key compound linked to the whey protein's benefits for gut health. Leading her team, she developed a new measurement method published in Foods, an international journal, and is now recommended as an industry standard. "Understanding this compound and how it connects to the protein's gut health effects could open the door to new products for consumers," Dirks said.

Her work extended beyond the lab. Partly funded by Agropur, a global dairy company, Dirks traveled to Minnesota to learn techniques directly from industry scientists. She presented her findings at annual meetings, interviewed with partners, and met dairy farmers. "My favorite part of the dairy industry is the blend of chemistry and community," she said.

Since defending her dissertation in 2025, Dirks has taught chemistry and a biochemistry lab at Boise State. She will continue as a chemistry lecturer in the fall.

For students considering dairy research, Dirks' message is clear: "It was well worth it, and I would do it again."

Her work drew praise from mentor McDougal. "Madison is structured, diligent, organized and focused. She is an exceptional scientist."

Story Collider meshes science and storytelling

Krishna Pakala, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, leads a collaboration with The Story Collider, a national nonprofit that helps scientists talk about their work through personal storytelling events. Madison Dirks participated, sharing how she first embraced science with the help of an inspirational teacher.

The following is an excerpt from the story she shared on campus:

Growing up, I was homeschooled, and I absolutely loved it. I was involved in sports and music, but I also loved being at home reading books and writing stories. My dream was to be an author, while my younger brother was the science kid in our family - constantly collecting bugs and doing his own experiments. Both of my parents were engineers, but while I did well at math and science, I did not think it was for me.

When the time came to choose my 9th-grade science curriculum, my mom pushed me to try Mrs. Hull's physical science class. I was terrified.

After my first day, I began to realize that science was fun. Mrs. Hull had once worked as a scientist, and the way she explained concepts and sketched them out brought everything to life. After our first experiment, I spent hours typing out pages of observations, results, and conclusions, then waited anxiously to get my report back. When I flipped it over, I saw an impossible purple score: 35/30. I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

After a year of physical science came biology, and with it a 12-mile hike through the Columbia River Gorge. While my classmates paired off, I lingered behind, carefully filling out the worksheet, sketching leaves, noting insects and searching for answers. Near the end of the trail, I caught up with Mrs. Hull and asked about the last few questions on the worksheet. Instead of answering directly, she guided me: What did I notice about a tree ahead? A pile of wood shavings. A hole in the trunk. She encouraged me to look closer. Inside were carpenter ants - and the answer I needed. The following week, she told the class that I was the first student she'd had complete the entire worksheet.

Years later, as I sat staring at the blank dedication page of my master's thesis in chemistry, those moments came back to me. The habits she instilled, the attention to detail, the persistence, the curiosity, had stayed with me. I realized I would not have pursued science or gone on to doctoral work in biomolecular sciences without her influence.

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