Jacob Lensing relishes challenges, as the former varsity collegiate swimmer and Pella Christian graduate has completed an Ironman triathlon and aims to compete in a 100-mile ultramarathon in the near future.

A first-year student in the College of Dentistry at the University of Iowa, Lensing approaches his research with similar fervor.

The summer before he enrolled at Iowa, Lensing dove into a research project comparing the efficacy of materials used to seal and protect teeth after a root canal. Lensing’s research, supervised by Erica Teixeira, associate professor and chair in the Department of Operative Dentistry, has led to presentations at two scientific meetings and a draft of an authored, peer-reviewed manuscript.

“You are constantly building on the knowledge that you already have and fitting in new pieces of information to help you get a better understanding of the subject area. In athletics, it’s kind of the same thing. It’s like, ‘OK, I’ve done this and I know I can do that—what about this thing? Can I do that? Can I get faster or can I go farther?’ It keeps life interesting.”

Lensing says he likes research because it presents some of the same challenges and fulfillment he encounters in his athletic pursuits.

“You are constantly building on the knowledge that you already have and fitting in new pieces of information to help you get a better understanding of the subject area,” Lensing says. “In athletics, it’s kind of the same thing. It’s like, ‘OK, I’ve done this and I know I can do that—what about this thing? Can I do that? Can I get faster or can I go farther?’ It keeps life interesting.”

Lensing graduated from Calvin University in Michigan, a triple major in biology, biochemistry, and psychology. He became interested in dentistry after shadowing dentists in his hometown of Pella in high school and summers during his first two years in college. He chose Iowa because advisers told him he could do research without having any prior experience.

“Here, they told us if you want to do research, all you have to do is write a proposal. And that was especially good for me as someone who wanted to enter into research in the dental field but didn’t have a lot of background in research,” Lensing says. Lensing is one of 52 students featured in the University of Iowa’s Dare to Discover campaign highlighting researchers across campus.