Gator TAILS

Lyme Disease (caused primarily by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi) is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. In 2022, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ranked #2 in the number of  reported cases of Lyme Disease in the United States. Lyme Disease is of interest to biologists, epidemiologists, and health professionals because of the complex ways in which wildlife and ecological variables interact to affect human disease risk.  Alexis Furbush ('24) spent 8 weeks during the Summer of 2024 as part of a grant-funded research team trapping mice and collecting ticks in Crawford and Mercer Counties in Pennsylvania. Listen in to this episode as Alexis and I debrief some of the work that she was a part of and to also learn about how she applied her summer research project in disease ecology to her Senior Comp Research in Global Health Studies. 

Field guides are utilized by professional scientists, citizen scientists, and members of the general public to assist in the identification of living (and non-living) parts of our environment. In addition to providing users with images and descriptions of the things that are viewing, some field guides provide information about these items that relate to their historical or cultural significance. Milo Watson (’26) worked on a project during the Summer of 2023 with Associate Professor John Miller (in the English Department) to survey the aesthetics of field guides, how they present information, and the various ways that field guides discuss (or don’t discuss) historical, cultural, and political content. Listen in to Milo and I as we chat about his summer research project.

When the economies of countries grow, they experience a shift (or a transformation) in the makeup of their economy as jobs shift to meet the new economic demands. Economics major Zachary Wyse ('25) and Professor Stephen Onyeiwu (Andrew Wells Robertson Professor of Economics) spent part of the Summer of 2023 exploring the pathways through which inequality influences how, and whether, Africa might achieve structural transformation. Listen in to this episode to hear about their summer research!

Beatrice is from Toronto, Ontario -- one of the fastest growing cities in all of North America. As cities grow, most residents are typically added to the surrounding suburbs which creates a bit of a problem: how do cities efficiently move people from further distances into the city center? To accomplish this, public transits (such as the Toronto Transit Commission) consider adding to the existing network of transit lines. Although these additions are done to create more efficient travel, there are negative consequences to building new transit lines. Beatrice's research addresses this topic and she spent the Summer of 2023 working with Professor Jesse Swann-Quinn in the Department of Environmental Science and Sustainability on a project that examined topics surrounding the expansion of the transit system in Toronto.

You've probably heard that DNA contains the genetic code -- the "instruction manual" (if you will). Within DNA, some of these segments of A's, T's, G's and C's found in a certain order contain the instructions (= genes) to create proteins -- the macromolecules that actually "carry out" the instructions of DNA. Researchers, such as evolutionary developmental biologists, study how genes relate to the process of organismal development and how that process (and the underlying genetic code) is similar, or different, across different species. In this episode, I chat with Nickel Spartz ('26) about the research that he conducted with Professor Brad Hersh studying the development of fruit fly body plans and wings.

Bintou Fofana is a senior at Allegheny College, where she is pursuing a degree in International Studies with an area focus on West Africa. She is double minoring in Political Science and French. At Allegheny, Bintou is involved in numerous activities/organizations, including the Center for Political Participation and she is part of the Global Citizens Scholars’ Program. Bintou is also a podcaster and her podcast, “Things Just Got Spicy”, just finished its 3rd season. In the summer of 2023, Bintou worked on a student-faculty collaborative research project with Prof. Ishita Sinha Roy on podcasting and building gen-z political engagement. Listen in to our conversation as Bintou and I chat about a number of topics related to podcasting, political engagement, and using tools such as podcasts to help build engaging classroom environments. Also, be sure to check out her own podcast and subscribe to “Things Just Got Spicy”.

Allegheny College's Law and Policy Program provides students with opportunities to explore their interests in politics and prepare them for the kinds of work they want to pursue after graduation. This program is open to students majoring in any academic discipline at Allegheny College. In January of 2023, Prof. Brian Harward and some staff members in the Center for Career and Professional Development took 12 Allegheny students to Washington DC to participate in a 9-day seminar called "Institutions and Interests that Shape the Policy Process" where students learned from top policymaking experts during rigorous academic seminars on critical elements of the policy process, observed oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court, and toured key sites including the White House, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress. Listen in to part of the conversation that I had with Lexi Adams and Joe Leszczynski about their trip to DC.

For a number of years, Dr. Becky Dawson ('00) has partnered with the Meadville Medical Center on a number of projects associated with public health and epidemiology. One of these projects has been assisting in the Crawford County Health Needs Assessment. This is an ongoing research project aimed to assess the health in Crawford County by collecting, analyzing, distributing and using valid and reliable quantitative and qualitative data to improve community health. During the Summer of 2022, Skyler Masse (Biology) and Emily Spitz (Biochemistry) were part of a team of students that worked with Dr. Dawson on this, and other, projects. Listen in to hear about the work that Skyler and Emily did on this project!

The Art Department at Allegheny College has a rich tradition of helping students learn to contextualize artworks, understand the connection between art and history, and showcasing original pieces of art in the Allegheny Art Galleries. Allegheny students and faculty also have opportunities to collaborate with art galleries and museums in the surrounding area during which students gain valuable exposure to regional artists and can assist in local art exhibitions. In this episode, I chat with Haley Fabich (L) and Erin Magnus (R) about their involvement in some projects and internships at the Erie Art Museum.

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that occur naturally in vertebrates and regulate many aspects of an organisms physiology. They are also widely used for the treatment of inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and even in some cancers. In this episode, I chat with Lottie Mateyak ('23; Biology) about a research project that she conducted with Dr. Mahita Kadmiel, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Allegheny College. The big aim of the project is to understand how researchers can use glucocorticoids as part of the treatment  of eye diseases but minimize the negative side effects that glucocorticoid use can have. Listen in as Lottie discusses her work with retinal cells and glucocorticoids during her summer research experience at Allegheny. 

Evelyn Griffith ('24) is a double major in Computer Science and English Creative Writing and also a soprano vocalist at Allegheny College. In November of 2022, Evelyn performed a Junior Vocal Recital (one of many possible Performance Opportunities for Allegheny Students through our Music Department) in the Ford Memorial Chapel. Prior to her recital, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Evelyn about a number of topics ranging from singing as a child to what it means to be a student vocalist. In addition to our conversation, I had the chance to sit in and record one of her practices prior to the recital. Listen in to hear our conversation and clips of Evelyn singing. You don't want to miss this one! 

The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most influential battles within the American Civil War -- it marked the turning point of the war and ended Confederate general Robert E. Lee's attempt to  invade the North and eliminating the possibility that the Confederate States of America would become an independent nation with the Union victory. Michael Gartland (’23), a History major and English minor, spent part of the Summer of 2022 as an intern at the Gettysburg National Military Park and worked on a research project in which he used an online database to find and catalogue over 200 soldier pension files over the summer to provide information about the lives of Union soldiers that died during the three days of the Battle of Gettysburg and were buried in the cemetery. The ultimate goal of the project, which was part of a larger archival digitization project, was to begin a database that catalogued these soldiers so that Rangers could use these stories for future Anniversary weekends and other events.

If you’re not familiar with NW Pennsylvania, this part of the country is beautiful! In fact, there are numerous natural resources and outdoor recreational areas that are within a 45-minute drive of Meadville. Ray Colabawalla ('25) and Hunter Goerman ('25) spent their summer traveling across parts of PA working on a project in conjunction with Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Professor Ishita Roy (Dept. of Communication, Film, and Theatre), and local community partners trying to assess the possibility of establishing a formal connection between the large swath of public and private lands and other assets in a north-south corridor in Western Pennsylvania, between the cities of Erie and Pittsburgh. The goal of the broader project (named the “Glaciers Edge”) is to determine the feasibility of creating such linkages through the nine-county area and to boost economic development through the protection and promotion of outdoor recreational assets in this region of Pennsylvania. In this episode, Ray and Hunter chat about their summer experience and how this project would benefit the local, and regional, communities in this area.

All of us are now familiar with rapid COVID antigen tests: a single line indicates no active infection whereas a double line indicates a positive infection. How do these test cards actually work and what type of chemistry is involved in this type of test? This, and numerous other biochemical and medical applications, use chemical surface reactions like those on the COVID antigen test card. One of type of surface reaction is attaching proteins to surfaces to act as a recognition system for a biosensor. Bill Nese (’23), a student in the lab of Dr. Alice Deckert, conducted a project in which they investigated surface reactions when a silver nanoparticle reacts with imidazole. Understanding the mechanism and rate constant for the reaction between a silver nanoparticle surface bound NHS ester and imidazole could hypothetically be determined at various concentrations of imidazole. Broadly speaking, this research allows scientists to better understand protein attachment and aid the design of numerous types of biosensors.

Gator TAILS (Talking About Inquiry, Learning, and Scholarship) is your one stop shop to hear about the exciting research, scholarship, and creative work done by current Allegheny College students. In this introductory episode, you'll meet the host -- Dr. Matt Venesky (Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities at Allegheny College) and hear a brief introduction about the concept of the Gator TAILS podcast. 

For more information about this podcast, visit this link or click here to find out more information about Allegheny College.