{"612742":{"#nid":"612742","#data":{"type":"news","title":"First-Year Biology Majors on the Fast Track to Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch4\u003EBy Mallory Rosten, Communications Assistant\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESimone Jarvis was sitting in the car when she got a call from\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/terry-snell\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETerry Snell\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;a professor in\u0026nbsp;what is now\u0026nbsp;the Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;School of Biological Sciences.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was\u0026nbsp;2015. She was\u0026nbsp;a high school senior\u0026nbsp;thinking about her future, uncertain, like most of her peers, about the path she would take.\u0026nbsp;Although she had been admitted to Georgia Tech,\u0026nbsp;she was\u0026nbsp;still undecided.\u0026nbsp;When Snell offered her a $1,500 stipend and the opportunity to start research in her first year\u0026nbsp;at Tech,\u0026nbsp;Jarvis took it as a sign.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It aligned perfectly with what I wanted to do,\u0026rdquo; Jarvis recalls. \u0026ldquo;The chance to get into a lab my freshman year definitely swayed my decision toward\u0026nbsp;Tech.\u0026nbsp;It was really exciting.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat Snell offered\u0026nbsp;was a\u0026nbsp;Fast Track to Research Scholarship. Snell conceived the program while he was school chair, struck by the low uptake of admission\u0026nbsp;offers: of 300 offers, only a third\u0026nbsp;would enroll.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESnell had an epiphany:\u0026nbsp;Research is one of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;biggest strengths.\u0026nbsp;The opportunity to join research labs as an undergraduate is one of Tech\u0026rsquo;s most attractive features\u0026nbsp;as a university.\u0026nbsp;What would be\u0026nbsp;more enticing than offering incoming\u0026nbsp;first-year students\u0026nbsp;a chance\u0026nbsp;to jump into research right from the start?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the most compelling things about science is doing science,\u0026rdquo; Snell\u0026nbsp;says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;If you can start doing science\u0026nbsp;in your first year,\u0026nbsp;without waiting until you\u0026rsquo;re a junior, it makes the road to a career in science much smoother.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;program offers\u0026nbsp;the top 30 accepted biology\u0026nbsp;majors a\u0026nbsp;$1,500\u0026nbsp;stipend\u0026nbsp;if they commit to doing research in their first year. Since\u0026nbsp;the program\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;inception, Snell has seen\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;positive impact on recruitment,\u0026nbsp;in both the quality and number of students that apply.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJarvis was among the first recipients\u0026nbsp;of Fast Track scholarships.\u0026nbsp;As a first-year student,\u0026nbsp;she joined the lab of\u0026nbsp;renowned marine ecologist and evolutionary biologist\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/mark-hay\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMark Hay\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJarvis was focused and bright\u0026nbsp;from the start, Hay says. She\u0026nbsp;took over graduate-student duties after\u0026nbsp;just a few weeks in the\u0026nbsp;lab. Now in her fourth year at Tech, Jarvis\u0026nbsp;still\u0026nbsp;works\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;Hay.\u0026nbsp;The\u0026nbsp;Fast Track scholarship\u0026nbsp;had\u0026nbsp;ignited a\u0026nbsp;passion for the scientific inquiry going on in the Hay Lab.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2017,\u0026nbsp;Alexandra\u0026nbsp;Towner also joined the Hay Lab as a Fast Track scholar.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve\u0026nbsp;always\u0026nbsp;been drawn to oceans,\u0026rdquo; she says. She loved that\u0026nbsp;Hay\u0026rsquo;s work encompassed both large\u0026nbsp;concepts\u0026nbsp;about ocean ecosystems but also drilled down to the\u0026nbsp;molecular aspects\u0026nbsp;of interspecies interactions in coral reefs. \u0026ldquo;It was\u0026nbsp;the best of both worlds,\u0026rdquo; she says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was nerve wracking,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Towner\u0026nbsp;recalls of the first time she met with Hay.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;You don\u0026rsquo;t know a lot and you\u0026rsquo;re meeting this incredible professor who has 20,000 citations on Google Scholar. But he sat us down and explained everything in terms we could understand.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;This fall, Towner began her second year at the Hay Lab.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHay\u0026nbsp;wants to help\u0026nbsp;students achieve their dreams. If they want to become scientists, he hopes to place them so they\u0026rsquo;ll be competitive for graduate\u0026nbsp;schools. If they want to become physicians, he\u0026rsquo;ll make sure that they understand\u0026nbsp;the scientific method\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;problem-solving.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut first, the students he chooses must be driven to do research. \u0026ldquo;I want them invested in the question,\u0026rdquo; Hay says. \u0026ldquo;I want research\u0026nbsp;to be a way of life\u0026nbsp;for them, not just a job. Everyone starts off knowing how to do science as a little kid \u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;you\u0026rsquo;re curious and explore. That\u0026rsquo;s what I\u0026rsquo;m still doing,\u0026nbsp;and that\u0026rsquo;s what I want my students to do.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026ldquo;It was nerve wracking. You don\u0026rsquo;t know a lot and you\u0026rsquo;re meeting this incredible professor who has 20,000 citations on Google Scholar. But he sat us down and explained everything in terms we could understand.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EFIELD WORK IN FRENCH POLYNESIA\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJarvis and Towner are innately curious. Which is why this past summer, Hay took them on a trip to Moorea, an island in French Polynesia\u0026nbsp;where he conducts field work. They stayed in the University of California Berkeley\u0026#39;s research station, with researchers from various institutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn Moorea,\u0026nbsp;Jarvis and Towner\u0026nbsp;spent many hours every day seven\u0026nbsp;feet deep underwater.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;We would wake up early, watch the sun rise over the reef, and go out to the water\u0026rdquo; Jarvis recalls, \u0026ldquo;We were so exhausted by the end of the day that we would just eat, watch the sun set, and fall asleep.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe field work gave\u0026nbsp;them\u0026nbsp;a chance\u0026nbsp;to see the genesis of the\u0026nbsp;samples they had been studying in the lab\u0026nbsp;to answer questions about the survival of coral reefs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Across the world,\u0026nbsp;algae is coming in and taking over coral reefs. We wanted to know if this is making corals more susceptible to disease,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Towner says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor\u0026nbsp;Towner, the experience was\u0026nbsp;life-changing.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One day, we did a dive on the reef 30 feet deep. It\u0026rsquo;s just\u0026nbsp;coral as far as the eye can see,\u0026rdquo; Towner says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;And you have this moment where you hope that if you have kids they\u0026rsquo;re\u0026nbsp;able to see something similar.\u0026nbsp;We\u0026rsquo;re in this incredible time where we\u0026rsquo;re able to see these incredible things and do this work. My eyes welled up down there.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026ldquo;One day, we did a dive on the reef 30 feet deep. It\u0026rsquo;s just\u0026nbsp;coral as far as the eye can see. And you have this moment where you hope that if you have kids they\u0026rsquo;re\u0026nbsp;able to see something similar....My eyes welled up down there.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003EFIRST OF A KIND\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough Georgia Tech has many programs to encourage research\u0026nbsp;for\u0026nbsp;undergraduates, the Fast Track Scholarship was the first for first-year students. Recipients\u0026nbsp;must use the award within their first two semesters at Tech.\u0026nbsp;Pre-existing awards\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cosinfo.gatech.edu\/ursa\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EURSA\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu\/content\/presidents-undergraduate-research-awards\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EPURA\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;are for continuing students.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERecently the\u0026nbsp;College of Sciences, inspired by the success of Fast Track,\u0026nbsp;established the\u0026nbsp;Early Research Award\u0026nbsp;for science and mathematics majors. Awardees have up to their\u0026nbsp;first four semesters at Tech\u0026nbsp;to get into research.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor\u0026nbsp;any prospective biology major\u0026nbsp;offered the scholarship,\u0026nbsp;Jarvis offers this advice:\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Take it. It\u0026rsquo;ll set you on a course that you couldn\u0026rsquo;t have imagined when\u0026nbsp;you applied\u0026nbsp;to Tech.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe students are what make Fast Track Scholarship so rewarding, Hay says. \u0026ldquo;I can only do so much with my hands, but if I look out at what my past students are doing\u0026nbsp;\u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;there are 100 or more\u0026nbsp;\u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;I feel\u0026nbsp;prouder\u0026nbsp;than I would\u0026rsquo;ve been if I just did it all myself. They\u0026rsquo;re part of my academic family, my lineage. That\u0026rsquo;s what we\u0026#39;re supposed to do as scientists \u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;allow others to flourish and replace us.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEditor\u0026#39;s Note: Mallory Rosten wrote this story from the reporting notes of A. Maureen Rouhi.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Scholarships enable first-year undergraduates to immerse in real-world research from the get-go "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESpearheaded by Georgia Tech biologist Terry Snell, the scholarship program is attracting biology majors.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Scholarships enable first-year undergraduates to immerse in real-world research from the get-go."}],"uid":"34651","created_gmt":"2018-10-15 14:21:10","changed_gmt":"2018-10-17 20:50:33","author":"mrosten3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"612797":{"id":"612797","type":"image","title":"Alexandra Towner and Simone Jarvis","body":null,"created":"1539638090","gmt_created":"2018-10-15 21:14:50","changed":"1539640074","gmt_changed":"2018-10-15 21:47:54","alt":"","file":{"fid":"233290","name":"2018 Alexandra and Simone 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Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}