Saint Anselm’s Summer Research Superstars

Some summer days are perfect for the beach and ice cream cones, but others are ideal for research. This year, over 25 Saint Anselm College students dedicated their time to expanding their understanding through important field research. Selected topics spanned a variety of genres with participants from the Honors Program, NH-LIFT Grant and NH-INBRE. With their unwavering commitment to learning through problem-solving, these students will benefit from this hands-on experience for years to come. 

NH-LIFT Grant Research

Danika Iosty ’28: Psychology and Social Work major

There are countless publications catered to a college-aged interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) - but hardly any that discuss an early intrigue in the field. Enter Danika Iosty ’28: a Psychology and Social Work major looking to change the narrative. With the guidance of Professor Kevin Doran, Ph.D., Iosty spent the summer observing STEM identities of middle and high schoolers who participated in a STEM summer camp. 

Iosty worked to survey and code students' responses to questions pre and post camp. Next year through a comprehensive literature review, Iosty plans to analyze student self-portraits that reflect on their self-perception through a STEM context. Her findings could engage students from groups that are commonly underrepresented in the field.
 

William Dervin ’26: Classical Archaeology major, Latin and History minor

Research at Saint Anselm isn’t limited to New England, let alone the United States. Supported by the NH-LIFT Grant, Classical Archaeology major William Dervin ’26 found himself under the central Italian sun working at an Etrusco-Roman settlement. As part of the Coriglia Excavation Project, Dervin worked under mentor Professor Sarah Glenn, Ph.D. to investigate a specific area between a wall and a road of the settlement that was previously believed to be a sidewalk. Important studies like this could help to answer historians’ biggest questions about functionality and the daily lives of Romans and later Italians who occupied in the region. Saint Anselm’s classics department has been involved with the Coriglia excavation since it began nearly 20 years ago.

The National Science Foundation funded NH-LIFT Grant made it possible for Iosty and Dervin to conduct this outstanding research. The NH-LIFT Grant is dedicated to funding new research opportunities for students in New Hampshire, specifically at smaller colleges like Saint Anselm.

Honors Program Research

Alaina Frias ‘27: Biology major, Chemistry and Studio Art minor

With muck boots on and clipboard in hand, Alaina Frias ’27 spent the summer up to her knees in mud, all in the name of research. Working alongside Professor Lori LaPlante, Ph.D. at Bunker Creek in Durham, NH and Sandy Point in Greenland, NH, the Biology major studied changing migration and reproductive patterns of fiddler crabs. 

While Cape Cod typically marks the northernmost limit of their range, fiddler crabs are stretching their habitats even farther north towards one of the fastest warming bodies of water on Earth: the Gulf of Maine. This climate migrant only recently appeared in N.H. and northern Mass., making Frias’s work even more impactful.

“The most rewarding part of studying fiddler crabs is the opportunity to answer questions about something brand new happening in the ecological world,” said Frias. “This research is giving me a taste of what a future in biological research might look like.”

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Abbi Edgington ‘27: Criminal Justice and English major

The dream of law school and deep-rooted passion for upholding justice was at the front of her mind as Abbi Edgington ’27 spent summer attempting to understand the role sexual violence plays on incarcerated women’s criminal pathways. Through extensive research, Edgington sought to answer a longstanding question: Are women who experience sexual violence are more likely to commit violent crime than women who have not? Edgington further studied if the time in which a woman experiences sexual violence is an important determinant in their later criminal behavior.

“I’d like to work as either as a prosecutor or defense attorney for some of my career prior to working for the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI),” said Edgington on her career goals. “The EJI provides dedicated legal representation to death row inmates who were wrongfully convicted on the basis of racial discrimination. My goal is to assist inmates and help to overturn wrongful convictions.”
 

Megan Brewer ‘26: Classical Archaeology and History major

For Megan Brewer ’26, summer meant studying the role of the Catholic church in the formation of Franco-American communities in New England and northern New York in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Brewer’s detailed research observed la survivance: French-Canadian immigrants’ dedication to the retention of their culture, language, and religion in the dominant Anglo-American society. Their migration to the American northeast was sparked by urge for employment and political freedoms. She investigated the varied outcomes of ‘la survivance’ across the communities where Franco-Americans settled and how religious cooperation varied between French and Irish Catholics depending on the town’s most dominating industry.

As a Franco-American student, Brewer feels deeply connected to her research. “The history of French-Canadian immigration and Franco-American communities is an incredibly important aspect of the history of New England, but it is often one that many people don't know about,” she said. “A deeper understanding of our region's history can lead to a deeper appreciation and understanding of our communities today.”

NH-INBRE Research

Abby Frankauski ‘27: Premed - Biology major, Chemistry minor
Rosemary Carpenter ‘25: Behavioral Neuroscience major
Lee Viazanko ’27: Southern New Hampshire University

Bathed in fluorescent overhead light, a bottom-floor classroom in the Goulet Science Center served as summer research headquarters for Abby Frankauski ’27, Rosemary Carpenter ’25, and Lee Viazanko ’27 (SNHU). The ambitious students earned the NH-INBRE Summer Research Fellowship and spent break working alongside Professor Victoria DiBona, Ph.D., in her campus neuro-immune-toxicology lab. The lab assesses for changes in microglia-neuron interactions following exposure to environmental toxicants during early development. Using zebrafish as a model organism, this research hopes to help define safer exposure thresholds for the many toxins people are exposed to daily. Over the summer, Frankauski, Carpenter, and Viazanko worked to refine safer and more efficient methods, making progress towards research goals in future experiments.

The students’ admirable work included the creation of a colony management system, determination of safe anesthetic dosages in combination with establishment of survivable live-microscopic imaging protocols, and assessment of changes in zebrafish behavior with newly designed 3D-printed equipment. They teamed to develop customized apparatuses, raise embryos, and maintain a clean environment for the zebrafish to thrive. Academics aside, it was the collaborative aspect of the lab that sparked Frankauski’s interest in conducting summer research.

“Not all our research goes smoothly at first—in fact, it rarely does! But it's the process of refining our projects and brainstorming alternative solutions that makes for a rewarding experience in the lab,” said Frankauski.
 

Addison Croscut ‘28: Chemistry major
Emily Cote ’27: Biology major, Chemistry minor
Hannah Sjostedt ’27: Forensic Science and Criminal Justice major, Chemistry minor

Accompanied by the constant humming of chemical incubators, Emily Cote ’27, Hannah Sjostedt ’27, and Addison Croscut ’28 spent their summer donning surgical gloves and goggles in a research lab led by Professor Jennifer Pace, Ph.D. With her guidance, the students worked to create small molecules that may interfere with an important system that helps control how cells grow and function: the Hippo Pathway. When this pathway isn’t working properly, it can cause certain types of human cancer to develop, making it an important topic for research.

The Hippo Pathway is extremely important for tissue homeostasis and cell differentiation, and without it, bodily functions would be impacted. Students conducted varying biological experiments to test whether the molecules they created affect the pathway. If successful, student-developed molecules could become useful tools for studying cancer or even lead to new treatments.

“We all know at least one person who has been affected by cancer,” said Cote. “The term ‘cancer' refers to hundreds of diseases, so working to find new therapies is vital.” From synthesizing new small molecule compounds to learning cell culture techniques, the students gained valuable skills that contribute to the vast world of cancer research and aid with future endeavors in their chosen fields.

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Additional NH-INBRE Research:

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major Ayah Elrayah ’25 worked with Professor Amy Rohlfing, Ph.D., to study the harmful bacterium clostridioides difficile, commonly known as C. diff. C. diff. causes severe gastrointestinal illness in individuals with a compromised gut microbiome- often leading to colon infections. Understanding what makes the bacterium resistant to environmental stressors is crucial for developing methods to treat and prevent these infections from happening.

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Katana Corning ’26, Hannah Gawlick ’25, Kyle Pierce ’26, and Angie Martinez ’26 teamed with Professor Paul Finn, Ph.D., on a psychology study to learn how physical emotions displayed by patients impact those around them. The students developed a series of simulated patient-therapist sessions with electro-dermal and respiration connection to study physiological responses from participating students.

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Post-grad Research:

After graduation, Kyla Prussman ’25 embarked on a graduate journey with Saint Anselm’s Master of Public Policy program to continue her research with Professor Elizabeth Rickenback, Ph.D. After conducting 88 semi-structured interviews, the pair is working to determine elderly voters’ preferences and influences on politics and policy ahead of presidential elections.
 

National Science Foundation Research:

Environmental Science major Colin Surdham '26 was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates internship, enabling him to live and work at a field research lab near Plum Island studying the ecological impact fiddler crabs have on the Great Marsh. Surdham's days in the marsh were spent "counting worms" as he observed how crabs may be reducing the marsh's worm population. With the previous research guidance from Professor Lori LaPlante, Ph.D., Surdham felt well prepared for this muddy marsh adventure.

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