from left to right Claire, Nicole, Abigail, and Abby As a first-year student in a science major, it can be very overwhelming as your knowledge is put to the test from the very first day of lecture. Laboratory follows as well as exams, papers, and just hoping you can make it to your next class on time while sneaking lunch in somewhere. However, there is one more thing that all science majors have in common, the fighting urge to be involved in research. Research gives you the opportunity to invest deeper into a topic of interest and have the possibility to be recognized. As a freshman in college coming into UVM, I had no prior experience in the first thing about research. Looking back, I never believed that I would have such amazing opportunities that my two professors, Dr. Brian Ballif and Dr. Laura May-Collado provided for their students.
Dr. Ballif was the professor for the Life Science Scholars (LSS) course Nobel Prize Winners. He was also one of our advisors. He is a very approachable and well-respected person on campus and his door is always open. You can go in and talk to him about anything from how your day is going, to what your future goals are after college. He has so many connections at and outside of UVM and I know a few of my peers are very appreciative for his excitement in finding them opportunities in a subject area they are already interested in. Every Tuesday and Thursday we learned about past Nobel Laureates and the groundbreaking discoveries that won them the most prestigious prize in science. Through open class discussions, he helped his students analyze important aspects of scientific research and articles, and then with that template in place, research our own Laureate. I did my research on Thomas Hunt Morgan and his work with the fruit fly Drosophila in which he established the chromosome theory of heredity! In that course, I had already accomplished two major things in just my first semester of college; my first, very professional looking research paper, and my first presentation. Of course I was nervous about it, but the twenty-one other students in my class were also in the same boat. So, we went though it together, silently cheering each other on as that is a big step in your college career.
After returning from winter break, second semester began with the second course in LSS known as Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) with Dr. Laura May-Collado. I first met Dr. May-Collado at accepted students day when she told me all about the Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP) and LSS and was very encouraging for me to apply. I came to learn that she is just as enthusiastic about her own research in marine biology, teaching first year BCOR 11 and 12 classes, or welcoming us into her lab. Most importantly, Dr. May-Collado taught us what it meant to be young scientists. She wanted our work to be rewarding in the end as we were presenting research at the Student Research Conference in April. My group used a program called Arbimon II to analyze soundscapes in the region of Tierra Oscura Bocas del Toro, Panama. She guided us through each step from submitting a proposal, writing an abstract, teaching us how to use Arbimon II, and preparing a poster for the conference. Dr. May-Collado appreciates all her students and wants to see us succeed. Her lab in Marsh Life Science has snacks, coffee, and tea and was a great space to work on our research.
Being in LSS, we didn’t just learn what it meant to be a scientist in todays society. We learned commitment and responsibility to our work and most importantly, how to keep an open mind when things might not go as planned. I am grateful for the opportunities LSS and CURE have given me in my first year of college at UVM. I got the opportunity to make a lot of new friends in my program who understand the challenges of being a science major. I would strongly recommend the LASP LSS program to any first-year student who wants to major in science because both of these courses not only helped me get a head start in things I thought I could never achieve, but also meet the best group of people and friends I could have ever asked for.
Dr. Ballif was the professor for the Life Science Scholars (LSS) course Nobel Prize Winners. He was also one of our advisors. He is a very approachable and well-respected person on campus and his door is always open. You can go in and talk to him about anything from how your day is going, to what your future goals are after college. He has so many connections at and outside of UVM and I know a few of my peers are very appreciative for his excitement in finding them opportunities in a subject area they are already interested in. Every Tuesday and Thursday we learned about past Nobel Laureates and the groundbreaking discoveries that won them the most prestigious prize in science. Through open class discussions, he helped his students analyze important aspects of scientific research and articles, and then with that template in place, research our own Laureate. I did my research on Thomas Hunt Morgan and his work with the fruit fly Drosophila in which he established the chromosome theory of heredity! In that course, I had already accomplished two major things in just my first semester of college; my first, very professional looking research paper, and my first presentation. Of course I was nervous about it, but the twenty-one other students in my class were also in the same boat. So, we went though it together, silently cheering each other on as that is a big step in your college career.
After returning from winter break, second semester began with the second course in LSS known as Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) with Dr. Laura May-Collado. I first met Dr. May-Collado at accepted students day when she told me all about the Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP) and LSS and was very encouraging for me to apply. I came to learn that she is just as enthusiastic about her own research in marine biology, teaching first year BCOR 11 and 12 classes, or welcoming us into her lab. Most importantly, Dr. May-Collado taught us what it meant to be young scientists. She wanted our work to be rewarding in the end as we were presenting research at the Student Research Conference in April. My group used a program called Arbimon II to analyze soundscapes in the region of Tierra Oscura Bocas del Toro, Panama. She guided us through each step from submitting a proposal, writing an abstract, teaching us how to use Arbimon II, and preparing a poster for the conference. Dr. May-Collado appreciates all her students and wants to see us succeed. Her lab in Marsh Life Science has snacks, coffee, and tea and was a great space to work on our research.
Being in LSS, we didn’t just learn what it meant to be a scientist in todays society. We learned commitment and responsibility to our work and most importantly, how to keep an open mind when things might not go as planned. I am grateful for the opportunities LSS and CURE have given me in my first year of college at UVM. I got the opportunity to make a lot of new friends in my program who understand the challenges of being a science major. I would strongly recommend the LASP LSS program to any first-year student who wants to major in science because both of these courses not only helped me get a head start in things I thought I could never achieve, but also meet the best group of people and friends I could have ever asked for.
 |  From left to right Abigail, Nicole, Abby, and Claire |  |
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