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Introducing Your Student Naturalists
St. Olaf and Summer Research |
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| By Andrew Kaul ’13For many St. Olaf biology students, the summer is more than just a break from courses; it is an opportunity to gain valuable experience through internships, jobs, and often student research positions. Some Oles don’t even have to leave the Hill to find such positions. The St. Olaf Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI), the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), and the McNair programs provide funding for many Oles to conduct research under St. Olaf faculty advisors each summer. The Environmental Science REU program also pulls in top students from all over the nation and even internationally to experience biological research at St. Olaf. Topics investigated last summer include turtle population genetics, trout ecology, lipid storage, enzyme kinetics, oxidative stress to proteins, zooplankton ecology, light pollution, gene investigation with RNAi, non-visual photoreceptors, ecology of the natural lands, wetland biogeochemistry, and prairie vole conservation. In total, last summer St. Olaf housed 84 students working on these, and other projects in the natural and social sciences, mathematics, and humanities.St. Olaf not only draws in students during the summer, but also sends many out to academic institutions worldwide to learn from experts in their field and make connections to the broader scientific community. Just this past summer, students conducted research associated with the Universities of Toledo, Texas, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, the Chicago Botanic Garden, EPA, Texas A&M, Mayo Clinic, Jama-Caoque Reserve (Ecuador), UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Penn State, Feinberg School of Medicine, the Kellogg Biological Station, and more. Research topics were as varied as heart disease, damselfly predation, protist proteins, ovarian cancer, pharmacology, ocelot populations, protein roles in cell cycles, and crab dietary niches.
Summer research can be a great experiential component to an undergraduate education, even for those not interested in pursuing a career in research. It can be extremely challenging, but is often even more rewarding. Some seniors were asked to reflect on the value of their research experiences and this is what they said:
If you want to know more about these projects and others, then stay tuned for information about the summer research poster symposium next spring, where you can hear all about how some Oles spent their summer on and off campus.
Far left: 2012 Summer researchers. Immediate left: Senior Arthur Sletten investigated cholesterol biology and cardiovascular disease at Washington University this summer and was one of two students from his lab selected to present their results at the Amgen Scholars National Symposium at UCLA in July. |
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Introducing Your Student Naturalists |
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 By Kirsten Maier ’13 and the NaturalistsHello from your student naturalists for 2012-2013! We are a group of students dedicated to linking the St. Olaf community with the biological systems of the Natural Lands. Throughout the year we will host a variety of activities, big and small, which serve this purpose. We have already gotten our hands dirty, removing garbage and large debris at the annual Cannon River cleanup, and working to maintain the quality of the natural lands through removing cottonwood saplings that have taken root in the prairie. We are currently planning and organizing trash pick-up events, buckthorn pulls, a prairie seed collection, and we will assist with the upcoming prairie burn. Future activities this year will include tree plantings, photo contests, more invasive species removals, the ever-popular spring phenology walks, and more. Follow us on Facebook and keep your eyes open for more information on our first event: a buckthorn pull on October 5th! Here’s a little background on why each of us is so crazy about the Natural Lands.
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Roz Anderson is a senior biology and environmental studies double major from St. Paul, Minnesota. She grew up in the outdoors, exploring national parks, helping in the garden, and taking canoe trips through Camp Widjiwagan, where she is now a counselor. During her time at St. Olaf, she has had the opportunity to work on a farm in Ecuador and study animal husbandry and invasive species in India. From these experiences, as well as the numerous biology and environmental studies classes, she has developed a desire to protect the environment and plans to promote food justice or become an outdoor educator after graduation.
Emma Cornwell is a senior biology and environmental studies major from Madison Wisconsin, who grew up spending time with her family camping, canoeing, and playing in her grandpa’s grove of rare American Chestnuts. Her recent research experiences in Costa Rica and at St. Olaf studying soil quality in agricultural fields have combined to foster her interest in sustainable agriculture; producing food while preserving the environment. As a student naturalist, she hopes to share with St. Olaf what she has learned about sustainable agricultural practices from Northfield farmers.
Andrew Kaul is a senior biology major and environmental studies concentrator from Osceola, Wisconsin. He came to St. Olaf intending to follow the pre-med track, however, during his Ecology class he discovered his true love: the tallgrass prairie. Since then, he has had numerous research experiences that have allowed him to spend time in prairies, including summer research on campus with Kathy Shea and an REU position through Chicago Botanical Gardens. He plans to continue learning more about pollination and plant biology this year, and is proud to be a part of the effort to preserve the beautiful and endangered biome that is the prairie.
Kirsten Maier is a senior biology and environmental studies major from Portland, Oregon. As a child, she spent most of her summers outside, and knew from a young age that when she grew up, she wanted to have a job that would allow her to be outside. Through her classes at St. Olaf and various research experiences, including the Bio in South India program, she learned to appreciate all that goes into making a healthy ecosystem. She hopes to share this knowledge with the St. Olaf community, and plans to continue connecting people with nature after college by teaching environmental education and eventually high school science.
Welcome to the New Biology Faculty |
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By Ellen Squires ’14If you think you’ve noticed a few new faces walking through the halls of Regents lately, you’re probably right. The St. Olaf biology department welcomed three new faculty members to its ranks this year. Coming from diverse backgrounds and possessing varied research interests, they each bring a unique passion for biology to the St. Olaf community. Dr. Lisa Lenertz’s biology career began as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She later ventured south to earn her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and recently completed postdoctoral research at UW-Madison. With a biomedical background, Dr. Lenertz is especially interested in obesity and is currently researching a protein involved in inflammation. During her first weeks at Olaf, Dr. Lenertz has been impressed by the enthusiasm of the students and—like us all—the food. Fresh off a research-intensive stint as a post-doc, Dr. Lenertz hopes to share advice about research training and post-graduate experiences with students.
Dr. Lisa Bowers followed a slightly different path to Olaf. After obtaining her undergraduate degree from UW-Green Bay, Dr. Bowers taught high school biology and chemistry before entering the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program at Also joining the biology faculty is Dr. Roberto Zayas, who obtained a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and This semester, Dr. Lenertz and Dr. Zayas will each be teaching one section of Bio 125, and Dr. Bowers is teaching Genetics. Whether or not you have a class with them, we hope that you’ll join in giving a warm welcome to the newest members of the St. Olaf Biology Department. |
UW-Madison, where she earned her Ph.D. She then completed a post-doc at UC-Berkeley and taught as a visiting assistant professor at Grinnell College before coming to Olaf. Over the course of her career as a molecular microbiologist, Dr. Bowers has developed an interest in bacteria, and she hopes to bring this passion to Olaf’s biology department. She began to study the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus as a post-doc, focusing on how several proteins work together to control its cell cycle; this is the question she will continue to research here. To show just how fascinating her favorite study organism can be, she wants every St. Olaf biologist to know that there are more bacteria on a gram of human dental plaque than all of the humans that have ever lived!
J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law after attending the University of Puerto Rico for his undergraduate career. Dr. Zayas is interested in ion channels, biotechnology, and cellular pathology. He has an interdisciplinary perspective of the field, believing in the importance of math and physics in biology. He also hopes to share experiences he has had applying biology to legal and business fields.
Biology Related Clubs and Contact Info |
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| St. Olaf Molecular Science Club (StoMols) – Anna Ballard (ballard)Pre-Veterinary Club – Ariel Carlson (carlsak)Pre-Dent Club – Samantha Clare (clare)
Pre-Med Club – Emily Olson (olsonem) Aquarium Club – David Skiba (skiba) Tri Beta (Biology Club) – Lauren Kramer (kramerl) Neuro Club – Karla Krumenauer (krumenau) Herpetology Club – Cody Ewers (ewers) |
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