{"id":162999,"date":"2020-07-29T09:17:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-29T13:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?post_type=school-college-post&p=162999"},"modified":"2020-07-29T09:17:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T13:17:32","slug":"clas-undergraduates-learn-research-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/07\/clas-undergraduates-learn-research-home\/","title":{"rendered":"CLAS Undergraduates Learn to Do Research From Home\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aquia Providence \u201821 (CLAS) loved her research routine. For three years as an undergraduate in assistant professor Julie Fosdick\u2019s geoscience laboratory, she got to examine samples of four-billion-year-old rocks<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>A<\/span>nd she was crushing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could do rock crushing, which is where you crush rocks in a metal bowl with your hands, or I could do gold panning, like they did during the gold rush,\u201d Providence says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After crushing and sifting through grains of zircon and apatite mineral<\/span>s,<\/span>\u00a0she assessed the quality, sorting out microscopic grains if they had been damaged in the process. Then, Providence would put the sample on a tray with alcohol solution, don a lab coat and special eye cancer-blocking goggles, and\u00a0<\/span>test the rock in a<\/span>\u00a0helium thermochronology laser<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The test would help to determine how old the rocks, which came from along major fault lines in California, are. Understanding their age will help scientists better understand earthquake activity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a freshman, I came almost every day in the summer<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and I would do that process for eight hours a day<\/span>\u00a0—\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>I loved it,\u201d she says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But when the coronavirus pandemic caused colleges to transition to online-only classes, Providence lost access to her samples<\/span>, and had to figure out another wa<\/span>y<\/span>\u00a0to study what she loved<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer, she and other CLAS student researchers overcame obstacles posed by the pandemic to continue their research and produce results by adapting their methods to working from home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alexandra\u00a0<\/span>Frenzel<\/span>\u00a0\u201821 (CLAS), a marine science major, has been researching genetic diversity of zooplankton, planktonic organisms that are vitally important to the ocean\u2019s ecosystems.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As an undergraduate in Professor\u00a0<\/span>of Marine Science\u00a0<\/span>Ann Bucklin\u2019s lab,\u00a0<\/span>Frenzel<\/span>\u00a0did a lot of benchwork, which involved extracting zooplankton DNA, putting DNA material into tubes to make copies, and generating DNA barcodes for various zooplankton species.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to<\/span>\u00a0barcodes on items in a store, DNA barcodes help to identify species by their unique label.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been more interested in smaller organisms at the base of the food webs because not only is the ecosystem structure built on\u00a0<\/span>them<\/span>\u00a0but they also play vital roles in biogeochemical cycling in the oceans,\u201d she says. By studying the microscopic ocean\u00a0life, she learns more about the dynamic components of the\u00a0<\/span>ocean as a whole<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had fresh samples<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and I would have done lab work before doing the analysis steps, but we had to change the whole plan,\u201d she says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without access to her samples,\u00a0<\/span>Frenzel<\/span>\u00a0had to switch her thesis entirely, pivoting to a more accessible dataset.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of plankton, she\u2019s now exploring gene expression in beluga whales from a dataset provided by Connecticut\u2019s Mystic Aquarium.\u00a0<\/span>The data demonstrate differential gene expression from two different populations of beluga whales<\/span>, one from a more pristine ocean environment northwest of Alaska, and one from an area with a higher surrounding human population, and therefore greater external stressors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cMy research trajectory has changed a lot since COVID-19 because I’ve delved way deeper into computer programs than I previously would have<\/span>,\u201d she says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt sucks to not be able to be in the lab. But I don\u2019t think I would have dedicated as much focus to understanding what\u2019s going on behind the screen of the analysis if we weren\u2019t forced to be online.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beluga<\/a>
Beluga whale swimming at Mystic Aquarium.<\/div>
After losing access to her salp plankton samples, Alexandra Frenzel \u201821 (CLAS) pivoted her research to focus on gene expression in beluga whales from different environments, using a dataset provided by Mystic Aquarium. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/div><\/div>\"Alexandra<\/a>
Alexandra Frenzel and her advisors meet over video call.<\/div>
Alexandra Frenzel, bottom left, pictured during a weekly research video meeting with her advisor and Principal Investigator Ann Bucklin (top letf), and co-mentors Dr. Ebru Unal (top right), Dr. Paola Batta-Lona (bottom right).<\/div><\/div>\"James<\/a>
James Kolb smiles while working at his new at-home desk setup.<\/div>
James Kolb \u201820 (CLAS) at his at-home work station, analyzing historical and geographical data of Hartford\u2019s neighborhoods. \u201cBecause I'm using GIS software, it\u2019s important to have access to a good computer. All I have at home is a slow laptop,\u201d he says. \u201cIf I\u2019m geocoding 30,000 addresses, that\u2019s a dataset with 30,000 people with data connected to them on a map. I have to restart my computer a lot. It's been a struggle.\u201d Now, he works on a custom-built computer. Photo courtesy of James Kolb.<\/div><\/div>\"Research<\/a>
Research stacks in Homer Babbidge level B<\/div>
Before campus was closed to students, Kolb found many of the historical texts he needed at Homer Babbidge Level B, or had them loaned through UConn. Now, he\u2019s been able to find similar archives online. Photo courtesy of James Kolb.<\/div><\/div>\"One<\/a>
One of Kolb's Public Housing projects maps shows affordable housing neighborhoods in Hartford, CT in the mid-20th Century.<\/div>
Public Housing Projects map<\/div>
Pictured is a map Kolb created of Hartford\u2019s affordable housing neighborhoods in the mid 20th Century. \n\n\u201cOur final product is a website, that\u2019s why we\u2019re working with Greenhouse Studios,\u201d Kolb says. \u201cThey\u2019re building the website and I'm applying the map.\u201d<\/div><\/div>\"Lovett-Graff<\/a>
Lovett-Graff studying in the forest<\/div>
Lovett used to find focus time while riding the bus to class around campus. Now, he finds reading extra productive in the solitude of nature. Photo courtesy of Joshua Lovett.<\/div><\/div>\"Helium<\/a>
Helium thermochronology laser.<\/div>
Using the helium thermochronology laser to date rock samples was one of Aquia Providence's favorite parts of her research.<\/div><\/div>\"Coachella,<\/a>
Coachella, CA, on the San Andreas fault.<\/div>
A view of Coachella, California (starred), the area along the San Andreas fault Aquia Providence is analyzing for samples of apatite rock eight to nine million years old. \n\n\u201cI have eight samples from the Coachella Valley region of California,\u201d Providence says. \u201cIt's exciting. I get to go extract the samples, and I get to see Coachella from this view, not the festival version but the geology version. It's been interesting to see a place that people enjoy so much from the view of nine million years ago.\u201d Photo courtesy of Aquia Providence.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

The University began a phased reopening for undergraduate research in July, and by the end of the month about 40 requests to return, including CLAS students, had been approved. But many students elected to continue working from home.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve tried my best to make a home office where I set up my computer and have my books and notes,\u201d says James\u00a0<\/span>Kolb<\/span>\u00a0\u201820 (CLAS), who is continuing his research through\u00a0<\/span>Greenhouse Studios<\/span><\/a>, a joint effort of the School of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the University Library.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI sit here and work, hours will go by and I don\u2019t even notice. Then it\u2019s 3 a.m.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ordinarily,\u00a0<\/span>Kolb<\/span>\u00a0would conduct his\u00a0research\u00a0 at\u00a0the Homer\u00a0<\/span>Babbidge<\/span>\u00a0Library, making use of their archives and computers.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since working remotely, the history major with a double minor in geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has learned new methods of finding and using digital archives for his research on migration and housing among the Black, Puerto Rican, and West Indian communities in Hartford, Conn.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He and his research advisor, Fiona Vernal, associate professor of history and Africana studies, are trying to get an accurate picture of Hartford in the 20<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0Century to track the migration of those communities as housing changed in the capital city.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese early Black communities were clustered close to railroads, on floodplains, and in places rejected by others as desirable residential sites,\u201d says\u00a0<\/span>Kolb<\/span>. \u201cWe’re trying to map what affordable housing looked like over time, and how housing projects changed that layout.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kolb<\/span>\u00a0spends hours digging through historical records and creating mappable datasets by geocoding addresses from various decades.\u00a0 At one point, his slow personal laptop wasn\u2019t enough to handle coding up to 30,000 addresses, so he had a custom computer built.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was concerned about the lack of face-to-face contact, because what I do is so visual and getting feedback on maps over the phone is much more difficult,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Kolb<\/span>\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, he texts images of archives and the maps he is working on with questions to Vernal, who provides timely responses.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because their research is largely qualitative, students in the humanities and social sciences say they\u2019ve been fortunate\u00a0<\/span>to lose little time on their\u00a0<\/span>work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joshua Lovett \u201821 (CLAS), (ENG), is pursuing dual degrees in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and chemical engineering with an English minor.\u00a0<\/span>He\u00a0<\/span>received Summer Undergraduate Research\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Funding to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>explor<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0constructions of loneliness as presented in English literature, targeting 19th-Century Victorian literature, modern adult fiction, and youth loneliness in young adult literature.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea came from wanting to work with Board of Trustees Distinguished English Professor Gina\u00a0<\/span>Barreca<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe taught a class on loneliness in literature and I took that. I\u2019ve adapted (my research) slightly to include books about the pandemic,\u201d he adds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Lovett is analyzing loneliness in<\/span>\u00a0Frankenstein<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Silas Marner,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>because he noticed loneliness as a student in the engineering program, and because he wants his findings to inform psychological research on loneliness in the future.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAuthors are keen observers of character and many psychological studies today confirm observations made by authors even hundreds of years ago,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey might see people who internalize loneliness are more likely to feel ashamed when something tragic happens and try to investigate it. There may be no hard data on that, but they may see my publication as a starting point to explore it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providence, meanwhile,\u00a0<\/span>overc<\/span>a<\/span>me tactical obstacles<\/span>\u00a0by\u00a0<\/span>helping<\/span>\u00a0to make their work accessible to other\u00a0<\/span>scientists. As<\/span>\u00a0a SURF awardee, Providence is discovering why and how ancient samples of apatite rocks along the San Andreas border in southern California moved over the past eight to nine million years. Her work could help scientists better track and predict movement along the active fault line.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her project uses a helium thermochronology laser to date the rock samples by quantifying the timing of erosion rates and uplift along the southern San Andreas border fault. As the designated operator of the laser, Providence felt \u201cvery scientific\u201d every time she used it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, I have six samples of rock\u2014three from one area, and three\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>another area. At some point in history, these samples were buried underground, and the hypothesis is that they originated in the same area,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, she wakes up at her family\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>shoreline\u00a0<\/span>house in Clinton, Conn., reads other graduate students\u2019 theses or literature review<\/span>s<\/span>, and enters coordinates on her apatite rocks from Coachella, California into a massive geoscience database called Geochron.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I enter the data on my rocks into Geochron, I see my work pop up on the shared map, which is very satisfying,” she says. The data she enters shows up as a yellow dot over Coachella, California.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI stay motivated by thinking about the end goal,\u201d Providence says. \u201cEventually I’d love to be a professor. I think this is a stepping<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>stone, just one hill that I have to get over, and now I know how to adapt to doing research at home.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aquia Providence \u201821 (CLAS) loved her research routine. For three years as an undergraduate in assistant professor Julie Fosdick\u2019s geoscience laboratory, she got to examine samples of four-billion-year-old rocks.\u00a0And she was crushing\u00a0it.\u00a0 \u201cI could do rock crushing, which is where you crush rocks in a metal bowl with your hands, or I could do gold […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":163009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2226],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2214],"class_list":["post-162999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clas"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-10 15:55:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/163009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162999"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=162999"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=162999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}