Mutant Worms, Melting Glaciers, and Philosophy For Kids: Nicole Mullen, Lucy Roberts, and Julia Lo awarded FYRE scholarships BY LAUREN BRUCE This past summer, three Clark Honors College incoming sophomores conducted research through a new scholarship awarded by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Education (CURE), called the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) fellowship. The recipients are Nicole Mullen, Lucy Roberts, and Julia Lo. FYRE recipients conduct research in the summer for eight to ten weeks, giving them the chance to experience being a full-time researcher. Separate from the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) which is open to all undergrads, FYRE is specifically for first-year students to encourage them to apply for undergraduate scholarships and begin experiencing the research process during their first year.
Julia Lo, a biology major, worked on a team researching meiosis, the process in which sperm and egg cells divide to produce new cells which pass on genetic information to an offspring. Lo explains that during meiosis, the chromosomes in sperm and egg cells each split into “breaks” known as double strand breaks (DSBs). The cells then repair these breaks. Based on how the breaks are repaired determines what genetic information will be passed on to the offspring. Currently, there’s no explanation for why a chromosome will repair a break to pass on one genetic trait over another,
it is only confirmed that the repair is intentionally done by the chromosome. Lo will be working closely with a graduate mentor Zac Bush who will assist her in answering this question using worms. “I think (undergrad research) is really important because if you can get people started in research as an undergrad just imagine how prepared they will be when they’re a graduate,” Lo says. “The sooner you start, the more you’ll be able to understand and the further ahead you will be.”
Lucy Roberts took a gap year in Thailand before joining Spatial Data Science, a relatively new major at UO, which focuses on mapmaking. Roberts’ research for the FYRE scholarship focused on the movement of icebergs in Greenland. “We’re updating a previously published article in order to get a better idea of how the currents move and how icebergs drift along a specific fjord,” Roberts says. Roberts explains that as an ice sheet melts, the freshwater of the glacier mixes with the saltwater of the ocean making it less salty. Because the wildlife needs a certain salinity to live, this can have a major impact on the environment. “I really wanted to get a better sense of how to work with geographic data and how the environment is going to
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impact our lives with climate change,” Roberts says. Working in Professor Dave Sutherland’s lab in the Earth Science department at UO, she’s been working with data collected by his team in Greenland. By putting GPS monitors on icebergs along Greenland’s coast they collected data from which we can learn about the ocean’s currents. “I am excited to actually be able to dedicate myself to this project,” Roberts says. “I feel really honored and excited that I get to contribute to it in my own way.”
Nicole Mullen is a biochemistry major, is a biochemistry major studying general science and sociology. With her research, she developed curriculum for use in graduate teaching programs that explores that value of philosophical learning in children in kindergarten through 12th grade classrooms.
educational and philosophical fields to develop this curriculum. A portion of the curriculum will be online due to the impact of COVID-19.
“Giving children the opportunity to tackle questions often seen as ‘too complicated’ or ‘complex’ gives children confidence while developing their critical thinking skills and imagination in a way standardized testing and rote memorization do not,” Mullen wrote in her proposal for the FYRE fellowship.
Mullen’s experience creating English Language Development curriculum, being a student tutor in high school and the support from CHC professor Dr. Caroline Lundquist has prepared Mullen for the challenging work ahead of her.
“If I had been taught that I could question things in a philosophical way from a young age, I feel like that would have been such a valuable experience for my education,” Mullen says.
“I want to make a net positive on the world,” says Mullen.
Mullen worked with experienced professionals in
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