St. Lawrence University: Faculty

Assistant Professor of Biology Ana Estevez has only been at St. Lawrence for a year but she’s having a big impact. The National Science Foundation awarded her a competitive Research Starter Grant, she’s collecting thank you notes from students who’ve loved her classes, and she’s hosted a Latin Dance Party.
Estevez’s area of research is in neuroscience, specifically how nerve cells generate calcium signals to communicate, using a tiny nematode (a roundworm) called C. elegans. “Studying transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels in a simple organism has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the physiology of these channels and may provide novel insights into the function of TRP channels in mammals.” She recently published a book chapter review on calcium signaling in C. elegans. Her work brought her a Research Starter Grant from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Estevez’s time at St. Lawrence has been made special by her students. “I have received thank you cards and notes, sometimes thanking me for helping them in ways I did not even know I was. These are always touching,” she says. She recalls especially the upper level course ‘Cellular and Molecular Basis of Learning and Memory’. She liked the small size of the class and found the students very receptive. “Initially, it was quite difficult for students. However, by the end of the semester, students became quite adept at handling the advanced material. It was very rewarding for me to see them make that progress throughout the semester,” she says.
When she is not teaching or conducting experiments, Dr. Estevez likes to work out, play tennis, go for hikes, and listen to music and dance. At the end of last semester, Dr. Estevez, a first-generation American from Dominican Republic born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, organized a Latin Dance Night in Canton. “It was basically a big dance party at my house that my friends and I really enjoyed,” she says.
Dr. Estevez completed her undergraduate level studies from SUNY Binghamton and then received her Ph.D. degree in physiology from Wayne State University. She did her post-doctorate fellowship at Vanderbilt University, where she worked as a research assistant professor till she joined SLU in 2005.

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Past Features Return to Faculty Page	Assistant Professor of Biology Ana Estevez has only been at St. Lawrence for a year but she’s having a big impact. The National Science Foundation awarded her a competitive Research Starter Grant, she’s collecting thank you notes from students who’ve loved her classes, and she’s hosted a Latin Dance Party. Estevez’s area of research is in neuroscience, specifically how nerve cells generate calcium signals to communicate, using a tiny nematode (a roundworm) called C. elegans. “Studying transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels in a simple organism has the potential to greatly expand our understanding of the physiology of these channels and may provide novel insights into the function of TRP channels in mammals.” She recently published a book chapter review on calcium signaling in C. elegans. Her work brought her a Research Starter Grant from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Estevez’s time at St. Lawrence has been made special by her students. “I have received thank you cards and notes, sometimes thanking me for helping them in ways I did not even know I was. These are always touching,” she says. She recalls especially the upper level course ‘Cellular and Molecular Basis of Learning and Memory’. She liked the small size of the class and found the students very receptive. “Initially, it was quite difficult for students. However, by the end of the semester, students became quite adept at handling the advanced material. It was very rewarding for me to see them make that progress throughout the semester,” she says. When she is not teaching or conducting experiments, Dr. Estevez likes to work out, play tennis, go for hikes, and listen to music and dance. At the end of last semester, Dr. Estevez, a first-generation American from Dominican Republic born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, organized a Latin Dance Night in Canton. “It was basically a big dance party at my house that my friends and I really enjoyed,” she says. Dr. Estevez completed her undergraduate level studies from SUNY Binghamton and then received her Ph.D. degree in physiology from Wayne State University. She did her post-doctorate fellowship at Vanderbilt University, where she worked as a research assistant professor till she joined SLU in 2005.
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