{"id":233615,"date":"2025-08-14T07:04:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T11:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=233615"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:19:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:19:25","slug":"a-ramp-up-to-scientific-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/08\/a-ramp-up-to-scientific-success\/","title":{"rendered":"A RaMP Up to Scientific Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Earlier this year, UConn inducted <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/05\/three-students-earn-national-science-foundation-graduate-research-fellowships\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">three graduate students<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> into the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). The NSF GRFP is a highly sought-after opportunity, providing financial support for graduate scientific study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Besides their can-do attitudes and wicked smarts, the three students shared something in common: they were all participants in UConn\u2019s Research and <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences <a href=\"https:\/\/genome-postbac.biology.clas.uconn.edu\/\">(RaMP)<\/a><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> program.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">RaMP is a nationwide initiative funded by the NSF in 2022. UConn&#8217;s RaMP program centers on the theme of \u201cGenomic Novelty\u201d &#8212; investigating how and why genomes change over time. Its faculty mentors include professors from the Departments of Ecology &amp; Evolutionary Biology; Physiology &amp; Neurobiology; and Molecular &amp; Cell Biology.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The program\u2019s unique structure allows participants to pursue two major research milestones over the course of a full year: an independent project, advised by graduate student and faculty mentors, and an all-cohort group project which culminates in a summer publication.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2024, the UConn RaMP cohort published the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2024\/06\/after-graduating-without-lab-experience-uconn-ramp-scholars-publish-first-of-its-kind-scorpion-genome\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">world\u2019s first<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> complete genome sequence of the desert hairy scorpion. This year, they did the same for the Everglades mink, one of the rarest mammals in the United States.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"grey-sidebar full-sidebar\">\n  <\/p>\n<h3>NSF GRFP Fellows from RaMP<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Savanna Brown,<\/strong> doctoral student and RaMP Mentor<br \/>\n<strong> Hailey Baranowski &#8217;24 (CAHNR\/CLAS),<\/strong> 2025 RaMP Scholar<br \/>\n<strong>Airianna McGuire,<\/strong> doctoral student, 2025 RaMP Scholar<\/p>\n<p><\/aside>\n<h2>Never Too Late: The Value of a Second Chance<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hands-on lab experience can be difficult to gain as an undergraduate, for various reasons. RaMP is designed to give college graduates another chance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI couldn\u2019t do as much research in college because I had three jobs,\u201d remembers Savanna Brown, a GRFP Fellow who just completed the second year of her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at UConn.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">She joined RaMP as a graduate student mentor, a role she\u2019s enthusiastically held for the past two years. In fact, she says, one of the major factors drawing her to UConn for her doctoral studies was the opportunity to help others gain research experience through RaMP.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This year, Brown\u2019s one-on-one RaMP mentee was Hailey Baranowski \u201824 (CAHNR\/CLAS). Baranowski is also a freshly minted GRFP Fellow, and they are headed to the University of Illinois for a Ph.D. in entomology this fall.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cRaMP gave me the foundational skills and wet lab experience to do the science I dream of,\u201d Baranowski says. \u201cRealistically, if I wasn\u2019t in RaMP, I&#8217;m not even sure I would be going to grad school this year, because you need that community of people to guide you \u2013 that&#8217;s what RaMP is.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Baranowski\u2019s previous research opportunities had been limited by the pandemic. They remember virtual lab simulations that instructed them to \u201cclick to put on your lab coat\u201d &#8212; a poor substitute for hands-on experience.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But despite the setbacks, Baranowski\u2019s interest in science blossomed at UConn. During their sophomore year, they got involved with UConn\u2019s Beekeeping Club and began doing community outreach projects with students and families. They even ran a bee-focused show on WHUS 91.7, UConn\u2019s student-run radio station.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_233618\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-233618\" style=\"width: 1751px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-233618 size-full img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1.jpg\" alt=\"Two researchers in a field of flowers under a blue sky\" width=\"1751\" height=\"985\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1.jpg 1751w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bee_SURF_1-1182x665.jpg 1182w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1751px) 100vw, 1751px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1751px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1751\/985;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-233618\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cI was kind of scared of bugs in general,\u201d Hailey Baranowski, at right, says about their freshman-year self; \u201cnow I\u2019m going onto my Ph.D. in entomology.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Still, the competitive world of Ph.D. applications was daunting to Baranowski when they first began dreaming of a scientific career.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cNo one in my family has gone on toward this higher education path,\u201d they say. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of nuances, and specific ways you&#8217;re supposed to do things, in order to get into grad school that no one tells you about.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Joining RaMP offered Baranowski solutions to both problems \u2013 providing them with intensive hands-on lab experience and connecting them with dedicated mentors (like Brown) who could guide them through research and the Ph.D. application process.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<h2>\u2018It Sets You Up For Success\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">RaMP member and GRFP Fellow Airianna McGuire is beginning her Ph.D. at UConn in the fall. She&#8217;ll be working under the mentorship of Professor Jill Wegrzyn, director of the Plant Computational Genomics Lab.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fresh out of her undergraduate studies at Ohio State University, McGuire decided to \u201cshoot my shot\u201d and apply to RaMP at UConn because of how well the program dovetailed with her research interests in animal genome sequencing.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Being in this environment where you have access to people who are experts in the field, it\u2019s pretty invaluable.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">Without being in RaMP, I wouldn&#8217;t have had access to all these PIs [principal investigators] who not only thoroughly read my GRFP but also provided invaluable guidance to my research,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d McGuire says.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McGuire spoke to UConn Today just two weeks before embarking to Alaska for a project using genomics to study conservation of a freshwater fish species, the Arctic grayling, in the rapidly warming Arctic environment. This project will be her first use of funding from the GRFP. After that, the fellowship will support her throughout her doctoral research.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cJust being in this environment where you have access to people who are experts in the field, it\u2019s pretty invaluable,\u201d says McGuire. \u201cIt really sets you up for success no matter what you want to do.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Brown, Baranowski, and McGuire all commended their faculty mentors and the leadership of Teisha King, RaMP program coordinator (whom Baranowski describes as \u201cthe brains of the operation\u201d and an \u201camazing person\u201d).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe support that you get from really talented and really smart scientists [in RaMP] is the perfect way to figure out what your path is going to be,\u201d says Baranowski.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From her vantage point as a grad student mentor, Brown agrees, noting that \u201cany scientist, at any point in their career, could benefit from the type of training they get in RaMP.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThere are a lot of barriers into getting into grad school and getting into academia that programs like this can really help lower for people who have the passion to drive, are excited, and want to learn,\u201d she says.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A unique training opportunity propels students to NSF fellowships and beyond<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":233617,"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":[2275,2429,2224,2226,2459,2076,1875,2235,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2413],"class_list":["post-233615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-affairs","category-awards-scholarships","category-cahnr","category-clas","category-graduate-students","category-research","category-grad-school","category-today-homepage","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-23 10:40:36","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\/233615","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\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233615"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233615\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233766,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233615\/revisions\/233766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/233617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233615"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=233615"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=233615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}