A University Fellowship awarded Dan Allen '06,
of Essex Junction, Vermont, allowed him to spend his summer conducting
research rather than mowing lawns.
Allen, a graduate of Essex High School, had spent several summers
working for a landscaping company in his hometown. But in 2005, he
applied for and was awarded a University Fellowship at St.
Lawrence, conducting research and experiments for his project entitled "The
Role of Gap Junctions in Cell-Cell Signaling During Acidosis." With
the aid of a confocal microscope at St. Lawrence, Allen was able
to see if the inhibition of gap-junction proteins in the brainstem
would have an effect on the excitability of neuronal cells.
A neuroscience major with a minor in chemistry, Allen
conducted research for Associate Professor of Biology Joseph Erlichman
and worked with Jill Pflugheber '86, his faculty mentor, while using
the confocal microscope. "This was a great opportunity for me. I
found the fellowship to be very beneficial because it was
the first time I had done independent research," Allen
says. He gave two research presentations at the 2006 Festival
of Science, and after graduation, plans to continue his education
by attending graduate school and earning a doctorate in either
ecology or conservation biology.
