2018 FALL LC MAGAZINE

BUILDING BRAVERY Morrison attributes her success to her own liberal arts education, stating that it has “given me the bravery and the attitude that if I find something interesting, I have the wherewithal to follow my passion. I’m not hemmed in by disciplinary boundaries.” “You can be led by a question, rather than by a set of techniques,” adds Kat Bartlow, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and neuroscience. Larger institutions cannot always support that individualized approach, funneling students into what their undergraduate lab or faculty specialize in. Lycoming, however, gives neuroscience students the freedom to pursue their interests and the opportunities to apply their curiosity in the field. Lycoming also helps build bravery by giving students access to advanced equipment early on — some of which is comparable to technologies found at major research centers. Twenty-four operant conditioning chambers allow Holstein’s classes to measure rat behavior, while fluorescent microscopes enable the students of Morrison and David Andrew, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and neuroscience, to label cells and molecules so they can observe their interactions. Other physiology equipment helps Bartlow detect dopamine in living brain tissue. Bartlow makes a point to bring in freshmen to work with her on her research outside the classroom, which focuses on neurons that produce and use dopamine. She wants to encourage students to get their hands dirty and troubleshoot equipment. “My research requires assembling complex instrumentation, and it is terrifying for the students initially. One For many neuroscience students, Cajal’s brain illustrations remain only images in textbooks. For several Lycoming students and faculty, however, these drawings came to life at “The Beautiful Brain” exhibition in the Grey Art Gallery at New York University. As a graduating senior double majoring in biology and Spanish, this experience was the perfect culmination of my studies. After spending months analyzing Cajal’s drawings for my Spanish capstone project, my jaw dropped when I finally got to see them in person. Their clarity and level of detail was astounding, and only became evident after observing them up close. My favorite was an intricate sketch of a tree-like Purkinje neuron, because I have observed these cells under the microscope in Dr. Morrison’s research laboratory. This transformative trip was just one of the many unique opportunities that have been afforded to me at Lycoming. - Rachel Fritz ’18 AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO NEUROSCIENCE student sat looking in shock at first because we were taking a computer apart and putting hardware into it, but then an hour later he wasn’t afraid to poke around and try things out.” WARRIORS LEAD THE PACK Although new to Lycoming’s academic offering, our neuroscience program is producing students who excel in their field. Because of their interdisciplinary knowledge, critical thinking skills, and experience with equipment, they are landing prestigious research opportunities, earning competitive internships, winning awards, and presenting at regional, national, and international meetings. They’re not just a cog in a wheel — they have deep understanding. They’re designing experiments, presenting posters, and writing research-style manuscripts and grant proposals. “It’s the biggest compliment for me when I go to a national meeting and my colleagues or mentors come by saying, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this with undergraduates,’” says Morrison. “Some ask my students where they’re planning to do their post-doc, because they assume they’re graduate students. That’s the level of work our undergraduates are doing.” By working with diverse faculty in diverse disciplines, Lycoming’s neuroscience students are prepared to excel in almost any career path. Whether they decide to become doctors, genetic counselors, psychologists, pharmacists, professors, or researchers, one thing is clear — their liberal arts education has prepared them to become the next great leaders of STEM. BRAIN Beautiful THE 21 www.lycoming.edu