Sara St. Clair ’26, a neuroscience major from Winthrop, Maine, spent the summer on campus studying ways to slow or prevent Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases—a project that felt deeply personal.
“My grandma had Alzheimer’s disease, so I’ve been interested in neurodegenerative diseases ever since,” she says. “I want to understand what causes them and how we might slow or prevent them.”
In particular, she worked with a tiny roundworm called C. elegans, a species scientists often use to study human diseases. These worms, Sara says, are genetically modified to produce a human protein called alpha-synuclein, which clumps together in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. Using fluorescent imaging and a confocal microscope, she tested whether a compound called mannitol can reduce these protein clumps.
“This experience has helped me better understand what it’s like to work in a research setting and has prepared me for graduate-level work in neuroscience,” Sara says.
Sara, who conducted her research under the tutelage of Dana Professor of Neuroscience and Professor of Biology and Psychology Ana Estevez and Microscopy Specialist Alana Belkevich, was one of a few dozen St. Lawrence University Fellows this summer.
These Fellows, following a competitive application process, receive a generous stipend and housing through the St. Lawrence University Fellowship program to undertake a research project with a faculty member outside of the regular academic calendar.
The projects aren’t just for fun. They often plant ideas that students go on to pursue in graduate school, and help them see what graduate-level research is really like. The finished projects can even be used to help students get into graduate programs.
How Summer Research Seeds Careers
Lorelei Lyford ’26, a geology and anthropology major from Georgia, Vt., says: “Working closely with a faculty member has given me experience that will help me get into graduate programs and has been a great way to network with other professionals.”
Lorelei worked this summer with Professor of Biology and Geology Judith Nagel-Myers to study the morphological changes in taxa found throughout the Eocene from Seymour Island in Antarctica. This, Lorelei says, can help them better understand what happens when an ecosystem changes from a “greenhouse” to an “icehouse” climate.
“These Fellowships are unique opportunities that allow students to do independent research for the first time in their careers, and it’s really valuable for undergraduates in helping them decide what they want to do with their future,” Nagel-Myers says, adding that the projects make students more marketable when they graduate.
“Graduate schools as well as traditional employers love to see that our students can do that kind of independent research work,” she says.
To do a summer research fellowship, students don’t have to know exactly what they want to study beforehand, and professors will help them home in on something interesting and worthwhile.
“I knew I wanted to do a project with Nagel-Myers, but I didn’t know what to do it on,” Lorelei says. “So she gave some ideas and one of them included working with specimens from Seymour Island in Antarctica which really sparked my interest.”
Fun in the NoCo Sun
Students also have time to enjoy the North Country summer and all the unique activities they don’t typically have the time, or the right weather, to do during the academic year. Sara says she had time this summer to see nearby waterfalls and peruse Canton’s local Farmers Market.
Alice Khalil ’27, another Research Fellow, discovered a passion for cooking, something she says she never seems to have time for during the busy semesters. “Between trying new recipes on my own and cooking with friends, it’s become both a creative outlet and a wonderful way to bond,” she says, adding that one of her favorite memories this summer was making biryani at a professor’s house with her labmates.
Alice, a neuroscience major and chemistry minor from Baniyas, Syria, worked this summer with Professor of Chemistry Samantha Glazier on a project to develop a better way to detect heart attacks earlier.
When someone has a heart attack, Alice says, their body releases a protein called cardiac troponin I, but current tests used by doctors to diagnose heart attacks aren’t always sensitive enough to catch low levels of this protein, which Alice says can delay treatment and worsen outcomes.
For her research project, Alice worked with Glazier to develop nanoparticles that can stick to troponin and glow under light, allowing even tiny amounts of the protein to be detected quickly and accurately.
“What gets me most excited is that this isn’t just lab work, every improvement we make could mean someone gets diagnosed faster,” Alice says. “The more I work on it, the more I appreciate how this project is a combination of chemistry and real-world impact.”
Lars Fattinger ’28, a geology and biology major from Traiskirchen, Austria, spent the summer analyzing growth rings of various tree species in the Adirondacks with Associate Professor of Geology Alexander Stewart.
They sought to establish a correlation to historical precipitation and streamflow records in order to reconstruct them for times before people started keeping records of these variables. This, Lars says, will help determine whether observed variabilities in those records are natural, or whether they could be consequences of the climate crisis.
“I am really passionate about using geological records to uncover past environmental conditions to better understand the forces shaping, and threatening, our planet today,” Lars says.
Alongside his Fellowship, Lars worked as a guide for the Outdoor Program, leading day hikes, backpacking trips, and canoe camping excursions. He couldn’t be happier this summer to have researched a project he’s passionate about while also having time to do the outdoorsy activities he loves.
“I have been spending lots of time exploring the North Country in all of its summer glory, which we don’t usually get to see while classes are in session.”
Learn More About Summer Research at St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence Fellowship Program Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program