Student Research

Emily Woster took her passion for reading, writing and Lucy Maud Montgomery - the Canadian author famous for "Anne of Green Gables" - and found the perfect audience. Woster was accepted to present a research paper in 2004 to the Sixth Biennial International Conference of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Institute at the University of Prince Edward Island. Her paper, "The Readings of a Writer: the literary landscape created by L. M. Montgomery's love of literature," will be presented alongside established scholars. (She says she is the only person among them without letters after her name.) Woster, who was named after one of the author's characters, joined the L.M. Montgomery Literary Society at age 11. Her motivation to pursue this project reflects a deep love and respect for the author's works; it also expresses keen interests in literature and history - interests that were cultivated working in public and academic libraries since the age of 15.

"Research in any subject, whether it be Elizabethan England, the Romanov dynasty or Canadian literature as in my case, not only increases how much I know, but how much more I want to know. I doubt I could have succeeded if it hadn't been for the teaching, the encouragement and the inspiration that I was given in my first year at school here."
- Emily Woster '07, English/secondary education

"We recognize talent in our students quickly. We encourage them to dream big and move beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. In Emily's case, I recommended her for the McNair Scholars Program right away. In other cases, our English faculty have helped students get fellowships to graduate schools, enter highly competitive programs, access internship opportunities and travel abroad."
- Patricia Hagen, Ph.D., English professor, St. Scholastica

What happens when the female threespine stickleback is induced with the aquaculture drug, Ovaprim? This is what Greg Jonas, a St. Scholastica McNair Scholar, set out to investigate during a summer research project on the sexual behavior of this thorny fish at Indiana University. The drug, Oraprim, contains a hormone known to encourage spawning in some species. Yet while stickleback sexual courtship is distinct, hormones and their underlying effects on female sticklebacks' motivation are poorly understood. Using dummy males in the trial experiments, Jonas found that none of the females injected with Ovaprim showed strong courtship responses.Weak responses suggested that test subjects were not in sexual condition and were tested too late in the spawning season to display effects from the drug.

"I helped construct research apparatuses, conducted trials for my fish, analyzed information and performed statistical tests. They really let me make this my own experiment, but were there to assist me with all of my questions. The greatest benefit was realizing the amount of work and time that must be devoted to doing a project. I learned that experiments are not always a success, but you learn from your failures to succeed in the future."
- Greg Jonas '04, Research biology

"We met weekly from December to May to discuss Greg's interests and locate graduate programs and researchers doing work that matched his interests. He e-mailed updates on his summer lab work in Indiana. Then when he returned, I mentored revisions to the paper he presented in October. I think it's excellent that undergraduates work on research projects, whether it's on campus or out-of-state. It's tremendously important for students to practice the scientific method, to experience the process hands-on and find ways to improve. It's the key to science."
- Jane Wattrus, M.S., Mentor, Biology adjunct professor, St. Scholastica

Stefanie Falconi spent a recent summer conducting experiments in gene therapy, a relatively new field within cancer research. With help from St. Scholastica faculty, she joined scientists at the University of Texas-Houston Medical Center in seeking to combine two published theories into one effective cancer treatment. The first theory suggested that after inserting the gene HSV-tk into rat tumor cells in vitro, one could administer a prodrug called GCV that would stimulate the gene to fight cancer. Because a direct injection of this treatment cannot always reach a tumor site, the researchers also sought a way to deliver the cancer-fighting DNA through the blood stream by way of a spherical vesicle known as a liposome. First they needed to verify the unproven use of HSV-tk, a viral gene that can block DNA replication. When the gene did not express the desired results, Falconi was charged with troubleshooting the experiment, asking new questions and pursuing possible solutions.

"My two months of involvement in this five-year project is like attaching 10 pieces in a 1,000-piece puzzle. That's just how research works. The experience prompted a realization that the knowledge I had acquired at St. Scholastica the past three years has meaning beyond a test or a grade. Applying concepts I learned to a medical setting made me realize that I had actually acquired a greater skill: how to think."
- Stefanie Falconi '04, Chemistry

"Research is an important part of the St. Scholastica experience. Chemistry and biochemistry students, for instance, are encouraged to pursue a summer research opportunity at a Ph.D.-granting institution, as Stefanie did, or join a project on campus, such as the 3M-sponsored work in our lab. Students are then invited to complete a research project as a one-course load during an academic semester. Such advanced study offers preparation for graduate school and a future profession in the sciences."
- Paul Stein, Ph.D., Chemistry/biochemistry professor, St. Scholastica