Rochester Academy of Science Grant Supports Student Research

The Rochester Academy of Science (RAS) awarded St. John Fisher University student Abigail Garvey an undergraduate research grant to investigate the role that the gene and protein, par-1, plays in the development of the C. elegans male tail. A technique called RNAi depletes the protein levels in the cell so that errors in the worm’s developmental stages can be found.

Winners of the grant were selected by a committee based on the merit of the presented scientific research and a clear and concise description of the project.

In her first year at Fisher, Garvey sparked an interest in cellular and molecular biology research after taking the Cell Biology Techniques course and began to conduct research in partnership with Dr. Daryl Hurd, associate professor of biology at Fisher. A biology major, Garvey participated in Fisher’s Summer Fellows Research program and has been working on her current project for over a year alongside Hurd. Garvey graduated from Fisher in December, but after receiving the grant, she returned part-time to the University this spring to continue her research.

Garvey presented at the Developmental Biology New York Conference at Ithaca College and the Rochester Academy of Science Paper Session at SUNY Brockport in the fall 2024 semester. She has also been accepted to present at the TriBeta Biology Honor Society District

Convention at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, and the National Conference for Undergraduate Research held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this spring.

“I am very proud to have the opportunity to present my research to other students and faculty in the scientific community,” she said. “I’d like to recognize Katarina Weldy, who also works in Dr. Hurd’s lab with me. We participated in the Summer Fellows program together, shared a lot of work, and still attend conferences together. Communication with scientific peers is especially important to me as a researcher.”

After attending the RAS Paper Session in November 2024, Garvey was encouraged by Hurd and Dr. Zach Murphy, assistant professor of biology, to apply for the grant to support her research post-graduation.

“The RAS grant will allow me to purchase a reagent that is required for the technique I perform in my research,” said Garvey. The funds that Garvey received from RAS will be used to  purchase materials needed to perform several experiments on different strains of C. elegans worms. The grant also allows for more quality time for Garvey to conduct experiments across the span of the spring semester.

According to Garvey, studying these functions in simpler model organisms like C. elegans allows scientists to gain an understanding of complicated processes in humans.

“I have a passion for the biological sciences, and I hope to continue doing research as a career,” Garvey said. “Receiving an undergraduate research grant was especially exciting to me as a student researcher because I was able to recognize that other people are interested in my work, and want to provide me with financial assistance. The overall research process was one of the greatest things I learned at Fisher, and being a student researcher allowed me to fuel the curiosity that eventually leads to discovery that we see in science every day.”

This article was written by Brooke Eastman, a senior media and communication major. Eastman currently works in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fisher for the spring 2025 semester.