Summer in the City
Summer in the City
Story by Jamie Traynor • Photos by Lukas Keapproth
From artificial coral reefs to fossils at the Field Museum, Loyola students in the College of Arts and Sciences take advantage of all that a summer in Chicago has to offer with immersive, one-of-a-kind research opportunities — right in their own backyard.
Locals will tell you there’s nothing like summer in Chicago. Between beach days, street fests, and ballgames, the city roars to life as the weather warms each year.
But a venture north on Sheridan Road up to Rogers Park will take you to a quiet oasis nestled against the coast of Lake Michigan. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the fall and spring semesters, Lake Shore Campus appears to fall into a deep slumber at a time when the rest of the city is bursting with life.
Despite its calm atmosphere, many undergraduate students take advantage of all that Loyola – and the city – has to offer in the summer months, both within and outside of a traditional classroom through research.
One such opportunity? The College of Arts and Sciences’ Building Bridges Undergraduate Summer Research Experience (USRE), which fosters engaging, high-impact research opportunities for freshmen and sophomores with little to no prior research experience. Students are paired up with Loyola’s esteemed faculty and gain hands-on, real-world experience with their faculty mentors’ personal research.
The program, in its second year, matched 65 students with 55 different research projects across the basic sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Students devoted 30 hours per week over the four-week program and were awarded $2,500 for their participation. Talk about a sweet summer gig.
Two students, Pranati Sukh and Eduardo Garcia, were paired up with Megan Whitney, Assistant Professor of Biology, to support her research on the comparative physiology of early Triassic tetrapods from Antarctica.
“I like to make my summers busy with things to do. When I was a kid, I loved to go outside and play. Now, I like to invest my time in opportunities I know will benefit my future,” said Eduardo, a sophomore studying biology. “I applied for USRE because I was heavily interested in learning what research is. I had zero experience and I thought this would be a great introduction.”
“The main focus of our work was to collect data on the histological details preserved in early Triassic fossils,” explained Pranati, a sophomore studying bioinformatics with a minor in information systems and analytics. “Our main goal was to compare specimens from Antarctica and South Africa to visualize if there was a difference in the samples collected from each area.”
Eduardo and Pranati worked as partners within a larger research team, requiring them to learn the ropes of research techniques like data organization and analysis, how to use high-tech equipment, and other essential skills that can't be learned from a textbook.
Arivu Kapoor, on the other hand, worked independently on his research projects with Colin Gates, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. A sophomore studying biology and molecular and cellular neuroscience, Arivu’s project focused on designing artificial coral reefs.
“This entailed placing a specific cyanobacterium on bio-printed corals to determine their ability to retain sediment from the environment and excrete external polysaccharides,” explained Arivu.
In layman’s terms, the main goal of this research is to, eventually, place large-scale versions of artificially created coral in reefs off the coast of New Jersey that were damaged by hurricanes.
Application of this research not only has the potential for a positive impact on our global ecosystems as the threat of climate change grows more severe, but also provided Arivu with the chance to learn and practice new concepts that he had never learned in the classroom – from inoculating and maintaining bacterial cultures to operating new programs and machinery.
“The most challenging part of my experience was understanding that setbacks are expected,” said Arivu. “It’s learning how to move forward, communicate, and build upon previous successes that are most important.”
The program culminates as each student prepares a presentation to recap their project and synthesize their findings.
“It was while I created my presentation that I truly realized how much I had grown as a researcher just over a period of a few weeks,” Arivu reflected.
Similarly, Eduardo shared, “The final presentation was perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience. My family was able to attend and see my work in-person, which was really fulfilling.”
Another way for undergraduates to engage in research over the summer?
Through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE). CURE classes enable students to participate in research in a more traditional setting for course credit.
One such CURE, taught by Yoel Stuart, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, is an Evolution Lab that allows students to contribute to real, ongoing research happening right in Loyola’s urban backyard at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Alyssa Anderson, a junior studying biology and forensic science, jumped at the chance to spend her summer collaborating with researchers outside of Loyola.
“I wanted to have a productive summer while fulfilling my Engaged Learning requirement. The thought of conducting open-ended research with unknown results was interesting to me,” Alyssa said.
While the class provided instruction on evolutionary biology, the students’ research project focused on cichlids, a family of tropical fish, and their developmental patterns between the juvenile stage and adulthood.
“We analyzed differences in body shape between juvenile versus adult cichlids and tried to find patterns when comparing body shapes between different cichlid species,” Alyssa explained. “We spent a lot of time physically handling the fish specimens, photographing them, and preparing them for data analysis. We then used a computer program to process the raw data we gathered, break it apart, and analyze it piece by piece.”
Having this kind of hands-on experience was even further enriched by the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Caleb McMahan, a fish biologist at the Field Museum, to help fill in knowledge gaps. Alyssa and her classmates visited Dr. McMahan at the museum for a behind-the-scenes look at their collection, which contains almost two million fish.
At the end of the course, Alyssa shared, “When collecting the raw data, it seemed kind of arbitrary. But when our data turned into tangible graphs and plots, it was really satisfying seeing all our hard work pay off with real world applications.”
Whether it is analyzing Antarctic data, working to rebuild coral reefs, and handling cichlid specimens, there are endless ways Loyola’s students take advantage of their world class city to broaden their academic horizons.
Learn more about opportunities for undergraduate research at the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 36 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”
Story by Jamie Traynor • Photos by Lukas Keapproth
From artificial coral reefs to fossils at the Field Museum, Loyola students in the College of Arts and Sciences take advantage of all that a summer in Chicago has to offer with immersive, one-of-a-kind research opportunities — right in their own backyard.
Locals will tell you there’s nothing like summer in Chicago. Between beach days, street fests, and ballgames, the city roars to life as the weather warms each year.
But a venture north on Sheridan Road up to Rogers Park will take you to a quiet oasis nestled against the coast of Lake Michigan. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the fall and spring semesters, Lake Shore Campus appears to fall into a deep slumber at a time when the rest of the city is bursting with life.
Despite its calm atmosphere, many undergraduate students take advantage of all that Loyola – and the city – has to offer in the summer months, both within and outside of a traditional classroom through research.
One such opportunity? The College of Arts and Sciences’ Building Bridges Undergraduate Summer Research Experience (USRE), which fosters engaging, high-impact research opportunities for freshmen and sophomores with little to no prior research experience. Students are paired up with Loyola’s esteemed faculty and gain hands-on, real-world experience with their faculty mentors’ personal research.
The program, in its second year, matched 65 students with 55 different research projects across the basic sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Students devoted 30 hours per week over the four-week program and were awarded $2,500 for their participation. Talk about a sweet summer gig.
Two students, Pranati Sukh and Eduardo Garcia, were paired up with Megan Whitney, Assistant Professor of Biology, to support her research on the comparative physiology of early Triassic tetrapods from Antarctica.
“I like to make my summers busy with things to do. When I was a kid, I loved to go outside and play. Now, I like to invest my time in opportunities I know will benefit my future,” said Eduardo, a sophomore studying biology. “I applied for USRE because I was heavily interested in learning what research is. I had zero experience and I thought this would be a great introduction.”
“The main focus of our work was to collect data on the histological details preserved in early Triassic fossils,” explained Pranati, a sophomore studying bioinformatics with a minor in information systems and analytics. “Our main goal was to compare specimens from Antarctica and South Africa to visualize if there was a difference in the samples collected from each area.”
Eduardo and Pranati worked as partners within a larger research team, requiring them to learn the ropes of research techniques like data organization and analysis, how to use high-tech equipment, and other essential skills that can't be learned from a textbook.
Arivu Kapoor, on the other hand, worked independently on his research projects with Colin Gates, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. A sophomore studying biology and molecular and cellular neuroscience, Arivu’s project focused on designing artificial coral reefs.
“This entailed placing a specific cyanobacterium on bio-printed corals to determine their ability to retain sediment from the environment and excrete external polysaccharides,” explained Arivu.
In layman’s terms, the main goal of this research is to, eventually, place large-scale versions of artificially created coral in reefs off the coast of New Jersey that were damaged by hurricanes.
Application of this research not only has the potential for a positive impact on our global ecosystems as the threat of climate change grows more severe, but also provided Arivu with the chance to learn and practice new concepts that he had never learned in the classroom – from inoculating and maintaining bacterial cultures to operating new programs and machinery.
“The most challenging part of my experience was understanding that setbacks are expected,” said Arivu. “It’s learning how to move forward, communicate, and build upon previous successes that are most important.”
The program culminates as each student prepares a presentation to recap their project and synthesize their findings.
“It was while I created my presentation that I truly realized how much I had grown as a researcher just over a period of a few weeks,” Arivu reflected.
Similarly, Eduardo shared, “The final presentation was perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience. My family was able to attend and see my work in-person, which was really fulfilling.”
Another way for undergraduates to engage in research over the summer?
Through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE). CURE classes enable students to participate in research in a more traditional setting for course credit.
One such CURE, taught by Yoel Stuart, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, is an Evolution Lab that allows students to contribute to real, ongoing research happening right in Loyola’s urban backyard at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Alyssa Anderson, a junior studying biology and forensic science, jumped at the chance to spend her summer collaborating with researchers outside of Loyola.
“I wanted to have a productive summer while fulfilling my Engaged Learning requirement. The thought of conducting open-ended research with unknown results was interesting to me,” Alyssa said.
While the class provided instruction on evolutionary biology, the students’ research project focused on cichlids, a family of tropical fish, and their developmental patterns between the juvenile stage and adulthood.
“We analyzed differences in body shape between juvenile versus adult cichlids and tried to find patterns when comparing body shapes between different cichlid species,” Alyssa explained. “We spent a lot of time physically handling the fish specimens, photographing them, and preparing them for data analysis. We then used a computer program to process the raw data we gathered, break it apart, and analyze it piece by piece.”
Having this kind of hands-on experience was even further enriched by the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Caleb McMahan, a fish biologist at the Field Museum, to help fill in knowledge gaps. Alyssa and her classmates visited Dr. McMahan at the museum for a behind-the-scenes look at their collection, which contains almost two million fish.
At the end of the course, Alyssa shared, “When collecting the raw data, it seemed kind of arbitrary. But when our data turned into tangible graphs and plots, it was really satisfying seeing all our hard work pay off with real world applications.”
Whether it is analyzing Antarctic data, working to rebuild coral reefs, and handling cichlid specimens, there are endless ways Loyola’s students take advantage of their world class city to broaden their academic horizons.
Learn more about opportunities for undergraduate research at the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments and 36 interdisciplinary programs and centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of University-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the University’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”