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.”
