Dan Allen '06 has spent summers before 2005 working
for a landscaping company in his hometown. However, this past summer,
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, Dan 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, Dan
conducted research for Prof. Joe Erlichman and worked with Jill Pflugheber,
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,” Dan says.
This semester Dan is conducting senior research with Prof. Erlichman. After
graduation, Dan plans on continuing his education by attending graduate
school and earning a doctorate in either ecology or conservation biology.
