Alexandra \u201cAlex\u201d Lesniak \u201920 has learned as an undergraduate to \u201cnot be afraid to ask for what you want.\u201d That assurance served the psychology major well when she sought to grow her research skills in a lab at Virginia Tech.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she got there they said, \u2018We see you have experience doing social media, so that\u2019s what we\u2019d like you to do,\u2019\u201d recalled Tiffany Pempek, associate professor and chair of psychology at Hollins. \u201cThat\u2019s not what Alex had in mind. She let them know she had been running studies in our department\u2019s Child Development Laboratory for the past three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesniak investigated at what age toddlers can actually learn from screen media, and if adding parental reading tips to children\u2019s books enhanced parent-child interactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey decided to let her work with their study participants,\u201d Pempek said, \u201csomething their undergraduates don\u2019t get to do in a big research lab.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Catherine](\"http:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/stricklin.jpg\")
Catherine Stricklin ’20<\/p><\/div>\n
The defining element Lesniak and other Hollins students share, one that fuels their confidence and gives them a leg up over their peers at other institutions, is the chance to engage in research beyond the academic year during the summer. As Catherine \u201cCat\u201d Stricklin \u201920, a chemistry major with a biochemistry concentration and a physics minor, noted, \u201cI\u2019ve been able to dedicate myself fully to my project, which many students don\u2019t get the opportunity to do.\u201d That continuity has been crucial for Stricklin, who is in her fourth year of using nuclear magnetic resonance, \u201cessentially a big MRI for molecules,\u201d to synthesize different chemical compounds and study their symmetrical properties. \u201cWorking on a single project for four years is something most undergraduates haven\u2019t done by the time they\u2019re applying for master\u2019s or doctoral programs,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt has shown me how persistence can pay off despite the complications that happen. It lets you think through and solve the problems you\u2019re facing to get the desired results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madison \u201cMadi\u201d Simms \u201920, a biology and environmental science double major, also lauds the free time that summer offers for field study. She and her research partner, Bronte Hoefer \u201921, are exploring the devastating impact in Roanoke County of the emerald ash borer, a small beetle that has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America.<\/p>\n
Simms said her summer research is not only convenient, it also provides \u201ca way to mesh my passion for environmental science and ecology with veterinary science.\u201d She was able to split her time last summer working for an emergency veterinary practice.<\/p>\n
![\"Bronte](\"http:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/hoefer.jpg\")
Bronte Hoefer ’22<\/p><\/div>\n
Hoefer, who is majoring in environmental science and biology, cited necessity as another compelling reason for summer research. In the fall and winter, \u201cash trees lose all of their leaves and it\u2019s harder to score and identify them,\u201d she noted. \u201cDuring the springtime, adult ash beetles emerge from their pupa form. They begin to eat the ash leaves from the top of the tree, which results in defoliation, another sign of infestation that we can report.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant Professor of Biology Elizabeth Gleim \u201906 invited Hoefer to study the emerald ash borer after the junior\u2019s interest in plant and insect ecology was sparked by Gleim\u2019s plant biology course. \u201cThe class lab involved going out into the woods and learning how to identify about a hundred species,\u201d Hoefer said. \u201cI found it very rewarding.\u201d Now she plans to study ecological etymology in graduate school. \u201cI\u2019m really interested in how plants interact with insects, and vice versa, and the resulting impact on the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to psychology major Marie Hengelhaupt \u201921, research is an important component of clinical psychology, the field she hopes to pursue. Last summer, she partnered with Professor of Psychology Bonnie Bowers to replicate a study that was previously done with a Burmese python. \u201cWe taught a corn snake to press a button in order to get food,\u201d she explained. \u201cThey\u2019re active foragers and have the ability to adapt to different environments. Typically, they\u2019re calm and they have to solve problems to find food. That makes them good for studying.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Marie](\"http:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/hengelhaupt.jpg\")
Marie Hengelhaupt ’21<\/p><\/div>\n
Hengelhaupt hopes the study will help dispel the stereotype of reptiles as slow and dull, and through food retrieval show they are able to learn the same as mice and other animals. Since there has been little previous research in this area, she is also anticipating that this study will offer prospects for networking. \u201cI plan to present our results at state and national conferences, which will enable me to meet people in my chosen field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Summer research opportunities at Hollins extend beyond the sciences. Kathleen \u201cKate\u201d Lydon \u201921, who is majoring in studio art with a concentration in printmaking, spent last summer honing her skills using a Glowforge Pro, a powerful laser cutter and engraver and one of the newest pieces of equipment in the university\u2019s printmaking studio. \u201cI learned new technologies and software. It\u2019s really a melding of digital and traditional methods, which is huge in the printmaking field,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe it\u2019s opened a lot of doors for me going forward with internships or graduate programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Kathleen](\"http:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/lydon.jpg\")
Kathleen Lydon ’21<\/p><\/div>\n
Lydon divided her time working on her own and collaborating with Elizabeth Dulemba, a visiting associate professor in Hollins\u2019 M.F.A. program in children\u2019s book writing and illustrating. \u201cI definitely want to be the conduit for everyone else on campus to learn this equipment. At the same time, I have a whole list of projects that I want to complete and I\u2019m hoping to enter some juried exhibitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesniak likely speaks for all her fellow summer researchers when she describes her work as \u201clife changing. I would not be the person I am today without this experience. It has reaffirmed my love and desire to go into research. I am currently applying to some clinical psychology Ph.D. programs, and if you don\u2019t have that undergraduate research experience, it really does set you at a disadvantage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Hollins, this is what we do,\u201d said Pempek. \u201cIt\u2019s a very clear demonstration of the value of a Hollins education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeff Hodges is director of public relations.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hollins students in the sciences and beyond gained major research experience last summer, giving them a decided advantage in competing for coveted grad school slots. By Jeff Hodges M.A.L.S. \u201911 Alexandra \u201cAlex\u201d Lesniak \u201920 has learned as an undergraduate to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-8895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-winter-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8895"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8900,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8895\/revisions\/8900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}