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Established in 2007 by the friends and family of Christine Koski ’79 in honor of her 50th birthday, this fund supports students majoring in the sciences.

Summer 2024 - Research Fellowships

Polar Amplification's Impact on Boreal Forests: Insights from the Silvertip Black Spruce Chronology, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

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Polar Amplification (PA) has caused a significant warming trend in Alaska, with temperatures rising by 3°F compared to a more modest 1.8°F increase in the contiguous United States since approximately 1900 (Stewart et al., 2022). In the context of this escalating impact on delicate ecosystems, tree-ring studies in boreal forests can serve as invaluable tools for decoding regional climate patterns.

Summer 2023 - Research Fellowships

The Three-Way Interaction: Investigating Factors Related to Caregiver and Child Engagement During Shared Book Reading Experiences

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My summer fellowship investigates caregiver and child engagement by investigating potential factors that boost enjoyment and attention during the joint experience. Joint booking reading experiences can be seen as a three-way interaction between child, caregiver, and book content. Data was collected from a self-reported online survey, distributed by Prolific, a UK-based online research platform.

Reversing the Effects of The Limited Bedding and Nesting Paradigm Through Environmental Enrichment

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A limited bedding and nesting (LBN) paradigm, rodent model for chronic early-life stress (ELS), was conducted during postnatal day (PND) 2-9 with 4 litters of Sprague Dawley rats (n = 51). On PND 24, weaning, one litter from LBN and Control were combined by sex and were put into Extra Enrichment (EE) housing (n = 27) and the other LBN and Control litter were pair housed by sex and litter and had Normal Enrichment (NE) housing (n = 24).

Analysis and Digitization of Ancient Mesopotamian Skeletal Material from Tell Leilan, Syria

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The purpose of this project was to analyze and digitize information pertaining to the collection of Mesopotamian burials held at St. Lawrence University under Dr. Mindy Pitre, excavated from Tell Leilan, Syria between 1979 and 1991 under the direction of Yale professor Dr. Harvey Weiss.

Summer 2022 - Research Fellowships

Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) Surveys Using a Wildlife Detector Dog

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Domestic dogs, with their complex olfactory system, are used for a variety of detection work. The application of detector dogs for wildlife data collection is extremely beneficial in areas where traditional methodologies, such as visual encounter surveys, may not be efficient. In many research projects involving these canines, the dog handlers belong to consulting agencies and are not tasked with publishing methodologies.

The impact of early life adversity using limited bedding model on social-anxiety-related behavior in Long Evan rats.

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Early life stress (ELS) is considered a risk factor for the development of psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety disorder. Individuals living in adverse environments are exposed to multiple stressors simultaneously, such as neglect, maltreatment, and limited resources.

CIIS Travel Grants

Testing the Efficacy of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles against Oxidative Stress Fluorescence Marker in C. Elegans

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Characterized by a gradual disintegration of the neuronal network, neurodegeneration lies at the crossroads of numerous pathologies such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and others. While the cause of neurodegeneration is often multifactorial in nature (e.g., genetic, age, environmental factors), oxidative damage tends to be a common denominator in the process.

Summer 2020 Project Showcase