For Heather Knupp, funding from the Shanbrom Research Fund—established by Dr. Edward Shanbrom '47 and his wife, Helen, to support student/faculty research—opened a window into the world of scientific research.
As indispensable as classroom study is, for a student interested in a career in the sciences there's no substitute for doing science.
A neuroscience major with a minor in music, Heather received funding to conduct collaborative research with Lee Coates, associate professor of biology and chair of the College's neuroscience program.
Coates's current research explores the neural and chemical control of breathing in vertebrates. Heather's research, using baby chicks, expanded on work done to study the ventilatory systems of adult chickens.
Measuring chicken breath may not sound easy—in fact, it takes some fairly sophisticated equipment—but the results could have far-reaching implications. "The research is primarily a physiological study of the development of the chicken's ventilatory system," Heather explains. "If a similar response to humans is identified, then that could be used as a model for SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome]."
Long regarded as a hallmark of an Allegheny education, close faculty-student collaboration can prepare students not just for graduate school but for the rigors of a career in scientific research.
"Because this experiment hadn't been done before, Heather had to do a lot of background research, design the protocol, set up the recording devices, and troubleshoot when things went wrong," says Coates. "These are all skills that will serve her well in graduate school."
For Heather, the process started in a junior seminar on sensory neurobiology and will evolve into her Senior Project. "I was able to take an idea and, with the help of Dr. Coates, research it," she says. "I was proud to be acting on my own original idea. Together Dr. Coates and I problem-solved and adjusted previous techniques to make my idea work. He gave me guidance every step of the way."
According to Coates, this kind of hands-on experience is invaluable. "While the Allegheny neuroscience students get a lot of hands-on laboratory experience in their courses and during the Senior Project," he notes, "the opportunity to do research during the summer allows them to immerse themselves in a specific research topic and work very closely with the Allegheny faculty. In most cases, as the summer research progresses and the student becomes an expert in his or her specific research, I feel like the student is more of a research collaborator rather than a student I need to mentor."
Heather plans to take the experience she gained through the Shanbrom Research Fund and continue her research as she pursues a doctorate in neurobiology, physiology, or neuroscience. "I am very interested in how neurotransmitters are formed, how they work, and how G-protein activated receptors function," she says. "Pitt, Wake Forest, Penn State, and Dartmouth are some of my top choices. My plan right now is to become a research scientist and lead my own research team in the future."
For Heather it wasn't just the experience in the lab that became an essential part of her education—it was the self-confidence that came with being taken seriously as a scientist. "I was really surprised by how supportive everyone was of new ideas," she explains. "No one said no or doubted me."
When asked how her music minor figures into her research—does she maybe sing to the chickens in the lab?—Heather responds with a laugh. "No, I can't sing on key for the life of me," she says. "I play the oboe."
