student research

In late February of 2015, Rachel Barton, now a senior at Roanoke College, was able to present her research on mod subculture. Rachel worked under the Sociology department for her completion of her concentration in Gender and Women Studies. She decided to do research because of her interest in the concentration and interdisciplinary work. Rachel worked with Dr. Sarabia to expand on research Rachel had previously done and to examine gender expressions and subversive identities within the subculture.

Rachel enjoyed her time working one on one with a professor. She commented:

“It was great! I was given the opportunity to structure most of the product independently, do my own research, and basically go wherever I wanted with my argument. I loved being able to create my own project. And, of course, Dr. Sarabia was very helpful every step of the way. He offered me continual one on one feedback and encouraged me to go as far as I could with my research. He was as dedicated to me completing a successful project as I was.”

When asked about how it was to present her research, Rachel said:

“At first, I was really nervous, but it went very well! It was definitely an invaluable experience. I was in charge of creating my own presentation and presenting my research in an effective way. I was on a panel with two other researchers”

For any students interested in doing research, Rachel says:

“Do it! Even if you don’t think you can, even if you’re scared of starting your own projects, do it! There’s nothing like starting from scratch and ending up with a really cool, successful final product that’s completely the result of your own initiative. And the possibilities for research are endless! You can basically do whatever you’re interested in, and you can pick up some new interests along the way! I would recommend going to conferences too. Just imagine, you can get PAID to travel to really cool cities and talk about the crazy cool things that you’re interested in. And other accomplished scholars will encourage you! They can even help you get into graduate school! Why wouldn’t you jump on that opportunity?”

This past January RC senior Grace England presented her research project at the Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), in Austin, TX. Grace’s project was “Does the ventilatory pump affect the gill circulation in blue crabs and lobsters?” and her faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Dar Jorgensen. She and Dr. Jorgensen took data that previous students gathered for this project and combined it with data that Grace collected to support the hypothesis of the ventilatory pump’s involvement in the gill circulation. Grace has been doing research at Roanoke since May 2013.

Grace first became interested in research during her freshman year when she was in Dr. Jorgensen’s Biology 125 lab. Grace explains that he saw her potential for doing research and invited her to get involved and to shadow an upperclassman:

“Through watching research first-hand, understanding its relevance, and expanding my understanding of biology through my 2^nd-year courses, I became increasingly intrigued in the physiology research in Dr. Jorgensen’s lab.  I couldn’t wait to start my own research over the summer!”

This was Grace’s first time presenting this particular project and she states that:

“It was truly incredible to come together with Ph.D. scientists, post-doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduate students like myself to learn from each other.  I went into the conference extremely nervous about presenting.  After the fact, I realized that my nerves had come from all of my previous presentations, in which the audience (a professor or judges) knew more about my topic than I did and were judging me based on how close I came to the ‘right’ answer.  In contrast, with this project, there was not a previously-know ‘right’ answer, and I quickly realized that the people talking to me about my research were not judging me, but were purely interested in the science involved in my project.”

For students considering research opportunities, Grace says:

“Go for it.  Don’t be afraid to approach a professor about research; their research is what they like to talk about most, and they’ll be happy to answer all the questions you have!  The professors at Roanoke will help you find your place, whether in their own lab or a different professor’s lab.  As a result of doing research, you will learn so much—about your subject, about the process of research (including perseverance!), and most importantly, about yourself.  This will help you in any and all future endeavors, wherever life leads you. “

For more information on the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, visit: https://www.sicb.org/

Six Roanoke College Students recently presented their research projects at the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Ecological Society of America Conference at the University of Maryland on March 29, 2014. The students who attended and presented at the conference were Steph Clements, Thomas Granger, Hannah Johnson, Teresha Santos, Lauren Strong, and Elsa Wieboldt and their faculty mentor was Dr. Rachel Collins. Steph Clements won for best undergraduate poster presentation and Lauren Strong won for best undergraduate oral presentation.

Elsa Wieboldt (’15) is in her third year of doing research and her project is about “the way that land use affects earthworms and the way that the earthworms affect the productivity of the land.” As far as working with Dr. Collins, Elsa explained:

“I really love the experience of working in a close one-on-one setting with a professor. It allows for a personal as well as a professional relationship. Because the professor knows you well they are able to advise you about research in a way that really fits you and the way that you achieve best and succeed.”

Steph Clements (’14) is in her first semester of research and in her research she is studying “the effect that diversity has on ecosystem stability using a microcosm experiment including three diversity treatments and multiple trophic levels.” In terms of working with Dr. Collins, Steph stated:

“She was incredibly helpful every step of the way and I worked very closely with her on the whole project. She helped me figure out an experimental design that would be practical for me to complete in one semester and assisted me in the analysis of my results. I met with her a couple of times every week and she even came in on weekends to help me with the project when needed.”

This conference marked Steph’s first time presenting her research at a professional conference and she expressed that

“it was an incredible experience to get to present my research to others in the field of ecology. I enjoyed explaining the work that I have been doing and hearing what people thought about the research that I had been working on. It was also a neat opportunity to get to hear from other important people in the field of ecology who were presenting their own work at the conference as well.”

For students considering research opportunities Elsa feels that

“research at Roanoke is an amazing opportunity because you get to experience something that most people cannot until graduate school. You often have the opportunity to create your own project with the help of a professor, along the lines of what is interesting to you. The opportunity of getting to know a professor so well and be involved in research, both theirs and yours, is extremely valuable.  These relationships are resources for life.  You get to have real life experiences while still in college. Significant and lasting knowledge occurs through these out of class room experience – Don’t pass up this opportunity!”

For more info on the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Ecological Society of America, visit: https://www.esa.org/midatlantic/

Roanoke College junior Alex Berryman recently presented his research earlier this month at the Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC. Alex’s research project was titled “Managing Transportation and Economic Volatility: What Can Policymakers Learn from Rural Low-income Families?” He also presented this project at the Research showcase in Fintel Library last Friday. Alex’s research began in late 2013 and he is currently doing an independent study this semester. He is also going to be a summer scholars this summer.

Alex mentions that he chose to study transportation inequality

“to apply lessons from my variety of past courses as well as to hopefully contribute to social change that is personally meaningful. Coming from a rural home and offering free automobile repair to select families consistently exposes me to discrete aspects of familial hardship within America.”

His project addresses how owning an unreliable automobile affects a rural low-income family’s ability to keep employment.

“This social phenomenon contributes to the social reproduction of poverty as well as familial hardship- or the inability to afford proper medical care, housing, as well as nutrition.”

Alex’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Lane Destro who specializes in rural poverty and social policy. Alex met with her once a week and communicated almost every day when working on this project. Alex notes that working one-on-one with a professor

“develops a stronger bond that enables learning to continue within a personalized venture. A more casual friendship can also evolve which is atypical when we consider the formality of school.”

For students considering research opportunity, Alex points out that:

“Research is an additional avenue towards becoming integrated on campus. Independent research is extremely flexible and is designed to conform about the student instead of the student being forced to perform predefined tasks. I doubt that many other institutions provide such an abundant inventory of learning opportunities as Roanoke.”

For more info on the Southern Sociological Society, please visit: https://www.southernsociologicalsociety.org/index.html