Erika Cross, ’20, Casey Gonzales, ’20, and fourth-year student Michael Lippincott were looking forward to presenting their research at the national level. Just weeks away from doing so, COVID-19 changed their plans. Instead of presenting to fellow scientists, they found themselves presenting to elementary and middle school students virtually.

BY GABBIE ST. PIERRE

For nearly two years, Erika Cross, ’20, Casey Gonzales, ’20, and fourth-year biology student Michael Lippincott dedicated much of their free time to research. Led by Lippincott and with the help of associate professor of biology, Stacy Donovan, PhD, they spent hours in the lab with the ultimate goal of presenting their findings at the national level. They submitted a proposal for the National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) conference, titled “Sequencing Shows New Insights to Cellular Stress Response to TA-65/ Cycloastragenol,” and were accepted.

“Once we were accepted, we were so excited to present our findings,” said Gonzales. “It’s a big deal to present your research at the national level. It validates that you’re part of an elite group and that your work is worthwhile.”

At the apex of their hard work, COVID-19 became a reality. Just a couple of weeks before they were set to leave for the NCUR conference, Maryville University announced it would be transitioning all classes to a virtual format and any university-related travel was banned. A few days later, NCUR announced the conference would be canceled for 2020.

Feeling discouraged at the prospect of not being able to share their research, Donovan found an alternative audience for her students to present to: elementary and middle school students. While finishing their semesters virtually, Cross, Gonzales and Lippincott conducted a Zoom series for a group of children who were interested in the sciences.

“We were prepared for a national conference where we’d be presenting to a group that knows the jargon,” said Cross. “We had to pivot and make our presentation make sense for young students. For example, we compared organelles to people working at a factory. That helped them understand that each organelle has a different job and function, much like different types of workers in a factory.”

Because the children weren’t able to attend school in person either, it provided an opportunity for interactive education during the pandemic. “At the time I didn’t think it was a big deal, but looking back on it, I think it’s really cool that we were able to give them something to look forward to during a challenging time,” said Gonzales.

Though presenting their research looked much different than they had planned, it gave them a unique opportunity: showing students what being a scientist is like. “When you don’t see something, you don’t think about it as being a possibility for you. So showing these kids that females can be scientists, or that you can be a scientist and an athlete, was really important,” said Cross. “They were able to see that scientists are real people and it’s something they can be, too.”