  Kira Krumhansl ‘06 of Amherst, NH did her research before committing to St. Lawrence. Knowing she was interested in going to a small school, Kira liked St. Lawrence because of the “friendly atmosphere, good opportunities in the biology department, and the location.”
As soon as she walked onto campus, Kira immediately became active. A biology major, Kira has taken part in many organizations involving the environment, including the Environmental Action Organization, the Low-Impact Living Greenhouse, the Conservation Council, being an Outdoor Program guide, and participating on the Thelomathesian Society as a member of the Environmental Conservation Committee.
Although these organizations are important to Kira, it has been her research with Assistant Professor of Biology Brad Baldwin that has had the biggest impact on her. Kira received a University Fellowship in 2005 and conducted field research in the Bahamas, which led into a senior honors project. She researched several ecologically and commercially important species in a mangrove lagoon on the island of San Salvador, with a focus on conserving the area “It really helped develop my skills in field research, but it also allowed me to grow personally,” she says. “It helped improve my capacity to be an independent organizer and see projects through from start to finish.”
Baldwin has also helped Kira in a number of other ways, not only in her research, but in helping her find an abroad program where she could further enhance her education in the field she most enjoyed. Kira enjoyed a semester abroad in the Woods Hole SEA Semester, where she spent six weeks in Woods Hole, MA taking oceanography classes and six weeks sailing in the Pacific Ocean. “It allowed me to focus my studies on the ocean, but it also gave me a lot of time to reflect on myself as a person,” she says. Kira received a fellowship to research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute this summer, and plans on applying to graduate school sometime within the next year.
Kira, who is also a member of several honoraries, including Beta Beta Beta, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Phi Beta Kappa, believes that there is something unique at St. Lawrence that you’d have a hard time finding anywhere else. “There is a strong sense of community here,” she says. “Students have the opportunity to become close to their professors and build strong connections with their fellow students.” |
 Jessa Davis ’08, from Canton, NY: St. Lawrence has been a window to the world. Jessa certainly has no regrets about having chosen a school so close to home, since she’s had the chance to see a big part of the world as a college student, studying in Kenya for a semester in 2005. “It was the most amazing experience of my life. I learned a lot about myself, my environment and possibilities that lie outside the North Country,” the Hugh C. Williams High School graduate says.
Jessa recommends other North Country students at St. Lawrence to use the university’s international opportunities so as to experience different cultures and to interact with the diverse array of students represented on campus. She acknowledges that “the North Country does not have much to offer in diversity from a demographic perspective. So, take advantage of what St. Lawrence offers you.”
Jessa, who majors in biology and anthropology, is also a McNair Scholar (a federal program that supports underrepresented students who plan to pursue doctoral work) and is working with Dr. Aswini Pai on a research entitled ‘A Comparative Analysis of African and Asian Health Care Practices in relation to Malaria’. She thoroughly enjoys working with a mentor professor. “I get to choose my course of action yet get guidance whenever there is a need.”
Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field, the Class Council, and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program are other campus commitments for Jessa, who is planning to attend graduate school in California, Florida or Hawaii for medical ecology and/or ethno pharmacology. |
 John Winkowski ’07 of Rochester, NY, has studied in Australia and the Bahamas.
And his field research in both locations will help preserve the great reef areas of the world.
While studying abroad in Australia in 2005, the biology and environmental studies major worked with some of the world’s leading coral reef scientists and conducted intensive research on the Great Barrier Reef. Before leaving for Australia, John took a class in marine ecology with Associate Professor of Biology Brad Baldwin. John went to the Bahamas with the marine ecology class in May 2005, and has returned twice, once as part of his University Fellowship research with Dr. Baldwin. His research is titled ‘Can Coral Reefs Surrounding San Salvador, Bahamas be restored by Transplanting the Sea Urchin Diadema antillarum?’
A graduate of Brighton High School, John is working with a keystone species, Diadema antillarum, which is vital in maintaining good health of the coral reefs throughout the Caribbean basin. He is attempting to restore their populations on reefs in an overall effort at promoting reef health. John plans to continue on the same project his senior year and publish this work.
John recently received the Crowell Summer Award in Field Biology to assist with s living expenses in Bahamas. “I am grateful to St. Lawrence for all the funding I have received for my travel research activities. St. Lawrence has just made it so much easier,” he said.
For John, the best academic aspect about St. Lawrence has been the wonderful relationships he has developed with his professors. John’s mentor and advisor, Dr. Baldwin, has been very influential in his life. “We have established a solid relationship. I talk to him about my life inside and outside classrooms,” he says.
Even when he is not researching the barrier reefs of Australia or Bahamas, John still likes to stay outdoors. He loves the Adirondacks, plays intramural hockey and helps coordinate performances for the Java coffeehouse on campus. |
 Brendan Hayes ’04, Tupper Lake, NY, majored in Biology and History as well as minored in African Students. In addtion, Brendan played
football, served as a representative to Student Athlete Advisory Committee, was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary and the Phi Beta Kappa academic honorary, and participated in the Kenya Program. Brendan graduated with honors in Biology, conducting a research project on the population genetics of freshwater mussels.
“I knew about St. Lawrence through my sister Brigid ’02,” says Brendan Hayes. “I’d been on campus watching her play soccer, and knew I wanted to participate in Division III athletics and go abroad. St. Lawrence seemed like the kind of place where I could do both.”
That proved to be the case. Hayes played football all four years at St. Lawrence, and spent a semester studying in Kenya.
“I really enjoyed the time I’ve spent with my football teammates,” says Hayes. “Being a member of the football team exposed me to a different type of work ethic than many other aspects of college life.”
Hayes spent the spring semester of 2003 in Kenya . “It’s a tremendous program,” says Hayes. “Studying in Kenya exposed me to different groups of people, both from St. Lawrence and from Kenya , and had a big impact on my social and academic life. More than any other academic experience, however, Kenya shaped my perception of what I see myself doing in the future.”
Hayes is currently serving a 27-month assignment as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the small
landlocked country of Swaziland in southern Africa. In a recent letter, Brendan wrote, “I’m settling into village life pretty nicely. My village has about 50-60 homesteads and is situated in the mountains of west-central Swaziland. It’s dry like the Southwest and most of the agriculture is maize and cattle.” He added, “I’m a little bit out of the way,--as far out as you can be in a country this small--but I can still get to the capital in four or five hours, by a combo of hiking, hitching and kombi (matatu).” Brendan says the public health situation in Swaziland is daunting as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He is calculating numbers of children who have been orphaned as a result HIV/AIDS. Brendan added, “The orphan issue is one of the more pressing and tangible areas to work in, and I could probably spend the next two years getting these kids into school and coming up with feeding/care schemes for them.”. |
Return to Biology Home
Page
|