Author: DURA

Given the virtual format of Spring Term, 2020, DURA decided to launch a podcast to keep students connected with undergraduate research and professors on campus in addition to our (now-virtual) symposium and general membership meetings. These podcasts are centered around how Dartmouth professors engaged with research at every stage of their careers, from their own experiences as undergraduate researchers, to graduate school / the PhD, to research projects they have pursued as professors.

 

We are fortunate to have several amazing professors as part of our podcast series, with episodes being released throughout the course of May.

I knew even before coming to Dartmouth that I would want to find an opportunity to perform research on campus. I was undecided on my major when I began here, and also did not really know where I wanted to try to find a research position. My freshman spring I decided to take Psych 1 co-taught by Professor Brad Duchaine and Professor Thalia Wheatley. In the class the professors would relate the lecture material to the research they conduct, and I found myself very interested in Dr. Wheatley’s research on social psychology. I decided to email her asking if we would be able to meet and discuss the possibility of me joining her lab, and after a few meetings with her and the lab staff I was able to join. Joining the Wheatley lab provided me with a brand-new group of talented mentors as coworkers. I believe it is really special that I am able to go to them to look for advising or resources for research, academics, or about life.

The Wheatley lab has exposed me to numerous types of psychological research experiments and what goes into a successful study to minimize confounding variables to try to receive the cleanest data possible. We have weekly lab meetings where members of the lab present on their work and findings which really helps me expand my scientific vocabulary and see many examples of different ways that data can be visualized. I think the most important part of my work in the lab is running experiments on subjects. As a student aspiring to join the medical field, gaining the skills to interact with volunteers in a professional setting is invaluable as I have learned through practice to be tremendously more confident and fluid when it comes to working with subjects. Through the lab I also prepared Qualtrics surveys that were to be used as entrance/exit surveys in the experiments. I am very grateful for the experiences that the Wheatley lab has provided me and for the numerous skills that I have learned thus far that I know will be helpful in my life and career.

Coming to Dartmouth, I knew I wanted to pursue my passion for sustainability. However, I quickly realized I’d be unable to do so through my classes, which are somewhat restricted by my double major. That’s why I decided to pursue ecologically-based research— as an opportunity to foster this interest, without relying on the classroom.

I was prompted to join a lab in my sophomore winter, when I received an email about UGAR’s Presidential Scholars Program. After looking at the online database of research postings, I reached out to a prof, and eight terms later I’m still working in her lab! Through the Cottingham lab, I’ve had the opportunity to design and run a toxicological experiment, use different microscopy techniques, and work on my data processing skills. Perhaps more importantly, I’ve been able to refine my academic interests and plans for the future. I’ve also reaped the benefits of research in the classroom— whether it’s a principle of statistical analysis or some lab protocol, I am better prepared to participate in a rigorous scientific setting because of my research experience.

Overall, my experience wouldn’t have been possible without the help of UGAR. I’ve received four terms of UGAR funding— three through the presidential scholars program and one through leave-term funding— all of which has facilitated my continued involvement in my lab.

Before I could walk or talk, I was fascinated by creatures both great and small. Indeed, I loved and still love them all. A fascination fostered by careful observation of and play in and with flora and fauna as a child developed into an interest in the intricacies of animal behavior and a desire to explore this realm of science so as to better understand the complex interrelationships between and among organisms of this biosphere.

At Dartmouth, I was able to pursue my intellectual passion in the laboratory of Mark Laidre, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences. At the Biological Sciences Department’s Open House my freshman fall, my interest was piqued by Professor Laidre’s enthusiasm for crustaceans, specifically hermit crabs, and his desire to understand their behaviors. Following the Open House, I sent him an email asking if he was in need of an undergraduate research assistant. And, the rest is history. As a member of the Laidre lab since my freshman fall term, I have had the opportunity not only to learn the ropes of working in such a lab from the ground up—meticulously floy-tagging shells and caring for terrestrial crustaceans—but also to interact with graduate students in the Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems and Society Program and to conduct my own independent research.

This past summer, I received a grant to conduct an independent research study at The Shoals Marine Laboratory, a facility located on Appledore Island, roughly a thirty-minute boat trip from the coast of Maine. As an avid and enthusiastic outdoorswoman, I explored every inch of the island in addition to snorkeling daily to further my research. My research focused on the theory that subtidal hermit crabs exploit long-distance chemical cues to determine the availability of nearby gastropod shells that have been recently emptied. I used the Acadian hermit crab (Pagurus acadianus) to identify the gastropod shell characteristics that marine hermit crabs use to determine shell refuge quality—that is, which characteristics of gastropod shell architecture (e.g., shell diameter, wall thickness, aperture size, and weight) P. acadianus values in  assessing the overall quality of a potential home. In addition, by releasing long-distance chemical cues simulating nondestructive predation, indicative to P. acadianus of the availability of the emptied gastropod shell, I determined a preference for a specific gastropod species shell—whether that be the shell of the dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) or of the common periwinkle (Littorina littorea).

Having the opportunity to hone my research skills in animal behavior by working in both the laboratory and the field has been an invaluable and indelible part of my Dartmouth experience and has further confirmed for me my career choice: to be a veterinarian with a focus on conservation efforts.

As a classical archaeology major, hands-on experience is crucial for me. Unfortunately, working with artifacts is generally difficult in a classroom setting, and finding opportunities to interact with them is similarly challenging. Working with Professor Lynn of Dartmouth’s Classics department has afforded me the unique chance to do just this. I have worked with an authentic Latin antiphonary, studying it and analyzing it as professionals would. My professor has also helped me use the fantastic technology Dartmouth has at its disposal to catalogue the antiphonary and make study of it more accessible. This project has familiarized me with such techniques as well as with the proper handling of such artifacts. Moreover, it has been endlessly fulfilling to work on the antiphonary, as I feel I am truly contributing to further study by cataloguing the antiphonary and making it more accessible for scholarly analysis.

My Professor has been incredibly helpful; she offered this research opportunity in class, and I simply asked her if I could help. She has acted as a sort of mentor, both within the research project and beyond. In addition, receiving funding for the project was simple, as Dartmouth Undergraduate Advising & Research generously funded it and paid me for my work. Overall, the whole experience has been fantastic. I am considering an academic career in classics, and this research has afforded me an unparalleled glimpse into the reality of research work, which I very much enjoy. I am thus very thankful for this opportunity that Dartmouth has kindly provided me.

Ever since I was little, scientific research has interested me. At Dartmouth, I was able to continue pursuing my passion for research with Todd Miller’s lab at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Being a part of the Miller lab has exposed me to new scientific techniques, new ways of approaching problems and creating solutions, and has confirmed for me that research is something that I want to pursue in the future. The people I work with at DHMC have become much more than just co-workers, but they’ve grown to be friends and mentors, guiding me through not only research, but classes, career plans, and the future. Finding this community for myself at Dartmouth was as simple as sending an email to Professor Miller, indicating that I was interested in his research and would be honored to learn more and be a part of it. The endless support that I’ve experienced here at Dartmouth is unparalleled and I am so thankful for this community.

As an undergraduate researcher in the Miller lab, I have had the opportunity to delve into the perplexing disease that is breast cancer. I’ve taken my passion for breast cancer and have spent my off-term in Utah researching the immunological complexities behind tumor metastasis and invasion. In Utah, as part of Alana Welm’s lab at Huntsman Cancer Institute, I’ve been able to explore the impacts of a specific protein and its isoforms on regulating the immune response. Using imaging techniques, molecular biology methods such as Western Blots, and even mouse models, we’ve been able to isolate a specific isoform of a protein that when removed, exponentially increases the immune response, decreasing tumor growth and increasing survival rates of breast cancer patients. Both my experiences with the Miller lab and the Welm lab have shown me the cooperativity of the research world and I’ve enjoyed being able to pursue my interests with the support of Dartmouth. The skills that I’ve learned through research - organizing and analyzing data, communicating results, planning out experiments, etc. - have been invaluable and applicable to all facets of my undergraduate career.

Undergraduate research was always an early goal for me coming to Dartmouth. I had read about the opportunities available at Dartmouth as part of my diligence during the college search process and had it at the top of mind when I matriculated as a freshman in the fall of 2016. I was fortunate to take a class with Professor Bonner (also the Chair of the History Department) and mentioned to him that I was interested in working as a research assistant for the department at the very beginning of the year during as we were chatting at the department open house. When I mentioned that I was interested in undergraduate research to Professor Bonner, I had thought it was something I would get involved with far later in my Dartmouth career - perhaps sophomore or junior year at the earliest. However, to my surprise, during office hours midway through the term, Professor Bonner asked me if I had considered and applied undergraduate research opportunities with the history department. Though I had initially thought I was too early to start looking into it, Professor Bonner assured me that I should be getting involved with undergraduate research as early as possible. He then took the time to walk me through our database of undergraduate research opportunities, and gave me some more insight that helped me get started right away. It was due to this that I was able to join Professor Moreton's book project as her first research assistant my freshman winter (2017), and I view my time as an undergraduate research assistant as one of my most important and rewarding experiences during my time here.

As a research assistant for Professor Moreton, I was tasked with searching EBSCOhost to find potentially relevant primary source materials, request them through our interlibrary loan system, DartDoc, analyze these to see what themes I could start seeing, and finally create an internal database using Zotero that would store these documents and citations for easy access once she started writing. Learning these skills - all of which are tools of the trade for professional historians - was incredibly valuable, and moreover allowed me to gain a much better understanding of what historical research actually entailed. Being on a book project from inception over several years also allowed me to more fully appreciate the length and scope of such an undertaking. Additionally, both for the FSP archival project as a thesis writer in the department, I have absolutely used the skills I learned while working as a research assistant for Professor Moreton to help increase my productivity, efficiency and output as a historian undertaking my own original work.