Profiles Archives

Research focuses her on health care

Allison Lemkin , CLAS '08, loves having the power to make changes, whether it is through volunteering or the sciences.

Lemkin , a molecular and cell biology major and sociology minor, interned for the Red Cross Children's Hospital in South Africa through UConn's study abroad program. For over three months in the spring of 2006, she researched the beliefs and customs of burn care.

Burn wounds are a major issue in South Africa where many shacks are in close quarters, according to Lemkin . "Many burn issues were with children sleeping under a pot of water and it falling over," she said.

Along with bonding with the 12 other UConn students on the trip, she was able to play with the children and watch physicians perform surgeries.

Lemkin is using this experience in her University Scholar project to discover why different techniques are used for burn victims in South Africa and if they actually work. "I hope this research will help physicians realize why they use these things," she said.

For her honors thesis, Lemkin is working in the lab of Margaret Sekellick, professor of molecular and cell biology, and Philip Marcus, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. She is studying molecules the body naturally produces in response to viruses.

Lemkin was chosen as one of UConn's Legacy Students. This leadership enhancing program was designed to gather students interested in helping the community and applying these skills beyond graduation.

After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in medicine and obtain a master's degree in public health.

"I'd like to travel and do something with healthcare internationally," she said. - Karen McCormick, CLAS '07

Music motivates him

“Originally I wanted to become an actor, but music is my life,” said Adonis Chamble, a communications major who plans to pursue a career in the music industry.

Growing up with parents who constantly listened to “Old School love records” resulted in Chamble loving all types of music, including hip-hop, R&B, and music on the other end of the scale, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Panic! at the Disco.

Chamble is not exactly sure what position he would like to have, but he knows that the music industry is for him. “I want to be involved in music. If you have a job it should be something you enjoy,” he said.

While on the path of figuring out his future, Chamble is spending his time maintaining a busy schedule and building an impressive resume.

Last spring and summer, he gained experience while interning for Lasmouve, an independent record label in Bridgeport, CT. While there, Chamble helped advertise and organize events held by the label.

As the Performing and Fine Arts Chairman of the Student Union Board of Governors, Chamble organizes events such as UConn Idol, talent shows, and dance parties.

With the UConn Voices of Freedom Gospel Choir, Chamble has the opportunity to perform in different areas of Connecticut, including on campus.

Outside of music, Chamble is also a member of the Black Student Association, Impact, and serves as a peer mentor for freshmen through UConn’s student support services.

Chamble believes that his experiences at UConn have helped prepared him for the music industry. “It shows me I can hold responsibility while at school and handle different people, so I should be ready,” he said. – Karen McCormick, CLAS ‘07

Family Studies major lauded for family leave proposal

Samantha Sherwood, a human development and family studies major, won first prize for a public policy proposal she wrote on expanding the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993.

The prize was awarded by Yale University's Roosevelt Institution.

Sherwood, who minors in political science, became interested in family leave while taking a course on public policy and the family taught by Steve Wisensale, professor of human development and family studies.

Her proposal would expand the family leave act, extending its requirements to businesses with as few as 20 employees and offering paid leave that would allow an employee to collect 50 percent of his or her wages, up to $800 per week, for 16 to 18 weeks. The benefits would be funded through a federal payroll tax.

The current federal law allows 12 weeks of unpaid leave. California is the only state with a law providing for paid family leave.

Sherwood worked to combine her proposal with a similar proposal by a student from Union College for an article in a journal of new policy ideas that will be distributed to members of Congress and local government officials.

"This experience helped me learn a lot about myself, my interests, and my passions," said Sherwood.

Grad student from Sri Lanka excels in geology

Even after graduating with a 3.95 GPA, Geethika Wijewardena had a lot to learn after coming to UConn from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka.

Discussing her new life in the United States she said, "Living is adventurous because everything is different. Even road signs are different."

Geethika is a geology graduate student and is a teacher's assistant for geology 250.

She comes to UConn with an impressive background. In 2003, she won the Memorial Scholarship, an annual award given to the best geology student in Sri Lanka. She was also awarded an academic excellence award in 2005 for her outstanding GPA.

Geethika also excelled outside of academia. As a member of Girl Guides, she became a senior guide and won the presidents guide award. In 2005, she was awarded the Duke of Edinburgh's award for three standards: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The award is focused on youth development.

To earn it, she was required to do community service, learn a particular skill, participate in a sport, and go on expeditions. For the Gold standard, she was required to go on an expedition where she walked 50 miles in four days and completed various tasks along the way.

She noted that students at UConn are quite different than in Sri Lanka. There, students are directed by parents at home, teachers in school, or the university they attend, while students here are more independent.

Along with her students, Geethika is dealing with a busy schedule. "I don't have any free time here!" she joked. - Karen McCormick, CLAS '07

Photo by Teresa Philips

Learning her way around a lab

Sonali Shah is only a sophomore, but her schedule is filled with research in labs, taking 18 credits of classes, and extracurricular activities.

Shah, who is a molecular and cell biology major and chemistry minor, began research at the UConn Health Center by assisting a postdoctoral student. There she became familiar with various lab techniques.

Last summer she conducted research at the Center for Immunotherapy of Cancer and Infectious Diseases with Dr. Pramod Srivastava. She examined the pathway by which foreign products interact with antigen-presenting cells to initiate an immune response.

This year she studied damaged DNA in the lab of Ashis Basu, professor of chemistry.

Shah's experiences in UConn labs have given her confidence. She is applying for summer internships for large companies that do not necessarily have the time to train students how to work in a lab.

"I have a chance. I feel I can be a valuable addition," she said.

Shah also spends her time playing club tennis, volunteering for the Husky Ambassador program and the Honors Ambassador leadership team, and she is on the Honors Council.

Eventually, Shah plans to earn an MD and a PhD in immunology, pathology, or oncology. She wants to start off in a lab and eventually branch off to form her own clinical-patient practice.

She was recently nominated for a Goldwater Scholarship, a competitive national award for undergraduates in the sciences.

"It wasn't something I expected as a sophomore," she said. "It reaffirmed to me why I am here." - Karen McCormick, CLAS '07

Seeking community change

As the president of the College Democrats and a triple major in political science, economics, and philosophy, David Steuber, CLAS '08, spends much of his time trying to influence community change.

Even as a child, Steuber was interested in politics. "When I was a little kid I would watch the news and wouldn't get bored with it," he said.

At a young age, Steuber became inspired to get involved in politics when an 18-year-old ran for the mayor of his hometown Loveland , Ohio . Although though the candidate did not win, Steuber realized that he could also make an impact, even at a young age.

Steuber joined the College Democrats in 2004. As the president, he is required to run meetings, organize events, negotiate and set the agenda, and give introductory speeches at rallies.

The club, which continues to grow, has an attendance of nearly 40 people at each meeting. He hopes to get the College Democrats more involved in community service.

Although it may appear to some that there is a constant rivalry between the College Democrats and Republicans, Steuber claims that it is more civil.

"I get along with the College Republicans," he said, "We have a common interest in politics."

Steuber is also the president of the UConn International Relations Association, a club that discusses political topics, cultural events, and sent members to the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference in Boston .

Each year the club also organizes WorldFest, a cultural event in which many ethnic clubs and organizations around campus come together in celebration with food and performances.

As if being a triple major and the president of two clubs weren't enough, Steuber is also a member of the Leviathan Society, a political debate group, and he also was a part of a UConn Relief Corps trip to revive New Orleans .

Currently, Steuber is not sure what the future will bring. He is considering going to law school, working for the Peace Corps, or working the upcoming presidential campaign.

"I figure the more I do, the more options I'll keep open for later on," he said. - Karen McCormick, CLAS '07

Tanzania service teaches sociology major

Alyssa Moss, CLAS '08, a sociology major, thrives on volunteering and the results she witnesses.

"I feel fortunate and I feel that I have the resources to help other people," Moss said. "Sometimes I feel like I get more out of it than they do."

"Some kids, if you tried to hug them, they had no clue what to do," Moss said about her experience volunteering with Cross Cultural Communications, a New York-based nonprofit.

She volunteered with the organization for three weeks during the summer of 2006, working at an orphanage in Tanzania.

Moss was disturbed to see starving and dehydrated children. Some children would lick their fingers dry after washing them and drank toilet water, while one child drank his own urine because of the lack of water access.

"You wonder how the kids survive, but it's normal to them. They don't think anything is wrong," Moss said.

While Moss longed for her return to American foods, she found it difficult to return to the United States. "I didn't want to leave because I got attached to the kids," she said.

She experienced culture shock upon returning home. It took some time to become adjusted to being able to shop for food and clothing once again.

Now, Moss second guesses what Americans tend to complain about. "Is it really worth it?" she asked.

She also has volunteered in New Orleans with the UConn Relief Corps and in a Washington, DC soup kitchen and food bank, through Community Outreach.

Along with community service, Moss is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and a member of the Connecticut Leadership Legacy Experience, a program designed to gather exceptional student leaders.

In the future, she plans to pursue a career in social work.-Karen McCormick

Copperheads captivate biology researcher

Chuck Smith, a PhD student in ecology and evolutionary biology, has been interested in snakes since the age of 8. As a child he begged his cousin, who was a herpetologist, to send him snakes, which eventually had their own room in his house.

Smith's fascination with snakes led him to study the copperhead, a poisonous snake that measures up to 30 inches and can be found in the Connecticut River Valley in the central part of the state.

Connecticut is in the northern extreme of the species range. "It was an opportunity to compare the biology here with warmer parts," Smith said.

For three years, he researched copperhead reproduction and how hormone levels were related to the snakes' movements. He found that the male's peak of testosterone corresponded with movement and reproductive behavior.

"Males expand homeland ranges greatly during mating time," Smith said. He found that the males follow the female's chemical trails to mate. More females caused more trails, and in turn, more offspring. The copperhead uses its tongue to locate these trails.

Smith studied the snakes' movements with the help of 30 radio transmitters and permanent microchips. Today, there are 115 copperheads in Connecticut carrying Smith's microchips.

He still loves snakes even after being bitten several times. Smith believes that the instances where he was bitten were his own fault.

"It was nothing due to the animals," he said, and there were "only a couple of poisoning snake bites." - Karen McCormick

Above: Smith with a juvenile green anaconda at a research station in the Paucarillo Forest Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon.

Chem major mixes a high energy schedule

"I personally work really well when I have a lot to do," said Charlayne McStay, CLAS '09. "I look at my undergraduate career at UConn as a job. I think I do a really good job at handling that."

As the program coordinator for the Husky Ambassadors, she manages the spring open house for potential students, sets up registration for visitor programs, and assigns volunteers with prospective students.

As a chemistry major, McStay enjoys lectures outside of her major, such as human rights, and works with the Global Leadership Commission, a group that helps bring new speakers to campus.

McStay is also a member of the Pre-medical society. In the lab of Prof. Ashis Basu, McStay helps with organic and cancer research. She is studying the effects of nitrogen-based compounds on cancer and the effects of ionizing radiation and how it causes cancer.

McStay has been dancing since the age of three. She is a member of the UConn Tap Team, competing against other dance schools in locations such as Hartford and New York. Recently, the team won its first bid to the national competition in Las Vegas.

Last May, McStay joined fellow UConn students to New Orleans with the UConn Relief Corps. While there, she helped restore homes for those in need.

Among the many activities she is in, the Connecticut Leadership Legacy Experience, a program designed to gather exceptional student leaders at UConn, is her favorite. "The people in the program are very similar to me," she said.

After graduating UConn, McStay plans to become a pediatric oncologist.

Headed toward a career in conservation

Chris Field's love for birds has grown since he has been in the ecology and evolutionary biology program.

Two summers ago he began studying birds while he interned with Audubon Connecticut, a state office of the National Audubon Society, which helps protect birds and other wildlife.

Field, CLAS '07, received a People's Bank Community Internship Award to work with Audubon again last summer.

There he developed an Important Bird Area Conservation Plan for Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven. This area is a popular spot for migratory birds. As part of his research, Field identified the natural resources of the park and suggested future plans to preserve it.

At the end of the summer Field also studied the vocal behaviors of the saltmarsh sparrow with the help of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fund, a fund supported by the CLAS Dean's office that enables undergraduates to conduct research during the summer.

Field plans to seek a job in the applied conservation science field. He believes his research experience was a big asset.

"I definitely think it will play a big role in landing a job when I get out," he said.

Barefoot on the Appalachian Trail: biology grad student takes an extreme hike

For as long as Susan Letcher can remember, she has preferred to be barefoot. While growing up in Maine, it was not uncommon for her to hike shoeless for an entire day.

Letcher, a fourth-year doctoral student in studying tropical ecology, took this to the extreme when she hiked the Appalachian Trail barefoot with her sister, Lucy. For 15 months, the young women, who became known on the trail as "The Barefoot Sisters," hiked from Maine to Georgia and back again, totaling 4,336 miles.

The trip was not only about a case of dirty feet, but rather, connecting to the earth and "experiencing the trail to another sense," Letcher said.

The sisters co-wrote two books, The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters, Book 1: Southbounders and The Adventures of the Barefoot Sisters, Book 2: Walking Home , about their experiences on the trail. The books were published in September 2006 and can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/barefootsisters .

Many Appalachian Trail hikers are extremely grateful for the hostel owners along the way who are referred to as "Trail Angels."

"There are so many great people that I met out there," Letcher said.

The trail greatly varied according to the season. During the spring and summer, "We camped with people every night," Letcher said.

Winter was a different experience. At one point, the women did not see anyone else on the trail for a month and a half. They encountered severe blizzards and chest-high snowdrifts.

Arriving home was much more difficult than the sisters expected. "It was really difficult," Letcher said. "It took a while for me to get used to not moving every day."

The sisters returned home soon after the events of Sept. 11 th . "The world I came back to was not the one I left," Letcher said. After experiencing the help of "Trail Angels" it was difficult to come to terms with what happened.

"Writing the book was in a way, me trying to come into terms with two aspects of the world," Letcher said. - Karen McCormick

Overcoming obstacles one at a time

Eugene Yeboah, CLAS '07, has not only overcome a language barrier and culture shock, but is also tackling pre-medical courses.

Yeboah and his family moved to Connecticut from Ghana, West Africa when he was a junior in high school.

"I didn't know what to expect," Yeboah said. "That was hard for me. It took me about a year to settle in."

Yeboah began taking classes at the West Hartford campus and eventually came to Storrs. He recommends that other students from different cultures begin at small regional campus to become adjusted.

"Start smaller. Become involved," he said.

While at the West Hartford campus, Yeboah started an indoor soccer program, a poetry club, and self defense classes.

Now, he likes Storrs because there are even more activities he can enjoy.

Not only does he love organic chemistry, but Yeboah also loves music. He plays drums, lead and bass guitar, and the keyboards for his church.

Yeboah is also a member of UConn's Voices of Freedom gospel choir and Bringing Awareness Into Latino Ethnicities (BAILE).

Yeboah hopes to attend the UConn School of Medicine and become a surgeon.

"Eugene is a wonderful young man who has overcome many obstacles," said Joseph Crivello, his advisor and professor of physiology and neurobiology.

"You talk to him for 30 seconds and are sure he is a student who will succeed. He will make a fine surgeon."

Carolyn Schwarz: Research on a remote island changed her frame of mind

Carolyn Schwarz, a doctoral candidate in anthropology, was surprised to suffer from culture shock upon returning home to the United States.

After living on the island of Galiwin'ku in the most remote part of northern Australia while conducting research, she became adjusted to constantly being surrounded by people and sharing her belongings with others.

"Kinship is the most important aspect of their society. Being alone is considered a pitiful condition," Schwarz said. Unlike the United States, it was common for large families to live in small houses and share food, money, and clothing.

After spending 17 months in Galiwin'ku, she is preparing a dissertation on how the Yolngu view their religious values, behaviors, and identities with one another and with the rest of the world.

"I'm interested in religion, particularly how indigenous peoples interpreted Christianity and how Christianity and Western religious system either came together or conflicted with one another," Schwarz said.

She studies why and for whom religion and religious behaviors matter in the aboriginal community under a fellowship granted by the UConn Humanities Institute.

After her studies and experiences, anthropology has changed her frame of mind. "It forces you to think outside yourself and outside our societal constructs, in terms of what is 'normal.' It makes you rethink you societal norms and values."

Kristine Folkerts: Making a difference in Africa

Kristine Folkerts, CLAS '07, believes big changes can come from helping small communities.

"Helping even just a few people is better than being apathetic," she said.

Folkerts, a molecular and cell biology major with a minor in African studies, went to Kenya with Operation Crossroads Africa in the summer of 2004.

Through this program, she had a major impact on people's lives. She shadowed doctors, gave patients bed baths, and helped run two free health clinics that provided care to more than 3,000 people.

After spending time in a hospital where nearly 50 percent of patients had HIV, she realized how much help was needed.

"I saw at least two children die from preventable diseases," she said, "Ever since I came back I've been interested in public health and health disparities, especially in Africa."

While in Ghana during the summer of 2006, Folkerts studied the malaria care-seeking behaviors of mothers in four different rural communities. With the help of a translator, she interviewed these women to learn about the different treatments used for malaria and to highlight factors that prevented timely and appropriate care.

Folkert originally wanted to do graduate work in molecular biology, but her experiences in Kenya and Ghana altered what she wants to do in the future.

"It's so rewarding to have personal contact with people and to feel like you are making a direct impact on their lives," she said.

Currently, Folkerts is applying for MD and master of public health programs. She hopes to work internationally.

She is also making a difference while at UConn. As a member of UConn Caring Internationally, she raises money to donate to programs that help children in need internationally.

Learning about the sea

As the director of education at Mystic Seaport, Lisa Marcinkowski, CLAS '89 creates educational programs about sea life attracting visitors ranging from toddlers to adults.

After research and making sure that the programs relate to what students are learning in classrooms, she creates activities including camps for pre-schoolers to teens, school group tours, and overnight stays. She feels the pressure to make sure that the programs are entertaining and educational.

"When I first started graduate school, I joked that I had the wrong undergraduate degree, but I am grateful every day that I was an English major because I spend most of my time writing," said Marcinkowski.

She spends a lot of her time writing grant proposals, tour outlines, training materials, marketing materials, articles for museum publication, and Web content.

After graduating UConn, Marcinkowski worked as a tour guide at the Orchard House Museum in Concord, Mass. She decided to obtain her master's degree in museum studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a premier program for training museum professionals.

"I'd always loved history and books," she says "Working at a museum is a great job for anyone who's curious and likes learning new things."