SAM CRANSTON UNIVERSITY

Of Vermont

Throughout my four yearsat UVM,I havenever wavered inmy decisiontostudy biologyand pursueacareer dedicatedtoscientificinquiry Inthepast year,my passionfor sciencehasdeepened,my skillsasascientist havegrownsignificantly andI havedevelopedstrong aspirationsfor thefuture

Inmy senior year,I knew I wantedachallengethat would put my scientificskillstothetest.Thismeant spearheadingmyownscientificstudy WhenI began formulatingideasfor aproject intheSpringof 2021,I decidedtoreturntothesubject that had originally sparkedmy passionfor science:tick bornedisease

Similar toMartha?sVineyard,Vermont?sdeer tick populationshavegrownrapidlyinrecent yearsdueto global warming Equally concerning,deer tickscarry not only Lymedisease,but ahost of other debilitating pathogensincludingBabesiosis,Anaplasmosisand RelapsingFever I havebeenstudyingtheratesat which thesepathogensarecarried ascoinfections,aswell as how landusechangesintheregionareaffectingthe spreadof tick bornedisease.

Frommy project proposal,I wasselected asoneof two recipientsof theUVM Biology Department?sKAYAward for Summer Researchtofully fundmy study.I spent the summer collectingticksat varioussitesthroughout Vermont Inthefall,I spent countlesshoursinthelab testingtheseticksfor disease I expect tosubmit the resultsof my study for review inascientificjournal prior tograduation.

Outsideof thelab,I haveremainedamember of theUVM ClubBaseball team Asastartingoutfielder thisyear,I helpedmy teamachievea17-0 recordand wintheNew EnglandClubBaseball

Championship

Thepast four yearsat UVM havebeentheexperienceof alifetime.I havebeencommittedto makingthemost out of havingtheprivilegeto attendcollege Noneof this wouldhavebeenpossiblewithout thesupport of MVYouth I will alwaysbethankful for your belief inme andI hopetosomeday giveback tofuturestudentslike myself.