Alyssa has been working on understanding the spillover of malaria parasites into the common loon. Alyssa was awarded two graduate research awards to help fund her research including a highly competitive American Ornithological Society Student Research Award and the John Wheeler Graduate Student Research and Development Award. With these funds and through broad collaboration she has been screening loons from across the southern edge of their breeding range for malaria parasite infection by PCR. Through further collaboration with entomologists and the help of undergraduate assistants, Alyssa has also been working to identify the mosquito vectors responsible for transmitting malaria parasites to loons. Alyssa recently presented her research at the joint meeting of the American Ornithological Society and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and received an honorable mention for her presentation.

Stefanie works as a research scientist at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Her days involve working on various cell culture projects and attending lab meetings with her coworkers. While at UVM, she studied in the Honors College and participated in the Distinguished Undergraduate Research program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Under the guidance of Dr. Bryan Ballif, Stefanie conducted research on protein signaling. “What drew me to this position, in particular, is that, since it was related to a hospital, we were doing science that is being used in clinical trials or improving clinical trials. There’s a pretty big connection between what we were doing and actually reaching patients,” she said. Stefanie’s strong network and personal connections helped her find a job in a field she was passionate about.

Miriam is a medical assistant at Four Seasons Dermatology in Colchester, Vermont, where she gathers patient information, takes vitals, and relays this information to the patient’s provider. She also assists with biopsies and surgeries. “I find it very fulfilling when I feel that I have helped someone. We deal with a lot of skin cancers here, and telling somebody they have skin cancer can be difficult. Just taking time, being patient, and making somebody feel comfortable is a really nice feeling,” she said. As an undergraduate at UVM, Miriam gained experience working in a lab and volunteering at the UVM Medical Center, where she also started a mentorship program for incarcerated women at the women’s prison in South Burlington, VT. She is preparing to go to medical school and is interested in specializing in cardiology, ENT, or women’s health.