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Neuroscience major Megan Coyer ’05 (Slippery Rock, Pa.), a Marquis Scholar and recipient of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, is examining how the hormone testosterone and the neurotransmitter serotonin affect aggression in male zebra finches for her senior honors thesis. Zebra finches are grayish-brown songbirds native to Australia.
“I look forward to conducting my research because I’m fascinated by the profound effects that slight variations in neural mechanisms can have on an organism’s behavioral repertoire,” says Coyer. “It is my hope to be able to eventually apply my findings to a more thorough explanation of human functioning.”
Since her sophomore year, Coyer has been investigating the hormonal mechanisms of sexual aggressive behavior in zebra finches under the guidance of Wendy Hill, Rappolt Professor of Neuroscience. Recently, an article based on that research was accepted for publication in the scientific journal Hormones and Behavior.
Hill is the recipient of more than a dozen grants, including a 2003 James McKeen Cattell Fund Fellowship for a major research project that could provide insight into how physiological systems give rise to adaptive behaviors. She was named Pennsylvania’s Professor of the Year in 1999 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for her extraordinary dedication to teaching and exceptional impact on and involvement with undergraduate students.
“Lafayette enables students to conduct research with professors who are experts in their field, and any student with the motivation is able to find a professor who will work with them,” Coyer says. “I am always amazed by the vast resources available to students at Lafayette who desire to conduct research.”
Her thesis topic developed while she was applying for a Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award of its type in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering.
“Dr. Hill directed my attention to some recent research examining the interaction between testosterone and serotonin in producing aggressive behavior,” Coyer explains. “It excited me because it suggested a biochemical differentiation between what we would consider ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ aggression. Also, there was little comparable literature in zebra finches.”
Coyer adds that both sexual and aggressive behavior involve extremely complex behavioral interactions within the same species, and these interactions are the result of even more complex neurological processes.
What Coyer enjoys most about her research is being able to take a simultaneous look at the effects of the hormone and neurotransmitter systems on the birds’ impulsivity and social dominance.
“Previous research has looked at the two chemicals independently, but never together,” she says. “Too many times, as students, we look at the effect of a biochemical on behavior as unrelated to other biochemicals, when in reality, many chemicals are interacting and mediating one another.”
For several years Hill has researched the neurochemical basis of social behavior on animals, specifically birds.
“I think that Megan’s work is going to help to address the interaction between these chemicals, because obviously, they don’t work in isolation,” she says. “It’s going to give us a richer sense of the dynamic interaction of these chemicals and how they influence behavior.”
As part of Coyer’s work, she will test upwards of 40 zebra finches, injecting the birds with the chemicals and recording behavioral changes. Following her behavioral assessment, she will anesthetize the birds and perform surgery on their brains to look for physiological changes.
Coyer, who says being able to conduct surgery will be a highlight of the project, notes that the creatures are a better model for humans that other test subjects, such as rats or lizards.
“The zebra finch is a colonial bird that forms life-long pair bonds,” she explains. “Coloniality is a type of sociality and is identified when numerous pairs, from hundreds to thousands, nest next to one another at a central location. Monogamous colonial birds must mediate aggression in such a way that they gain the benefits of social dominance, while still gaining the benefits of coloniality. These traits — monogamy, life-long pair bonds, and being highly social — make the zebra finch an excellent model for human aggression.”
Although the project is on par with a master’s-level thesis, Hill says Coyer is more than qualified to complete the complicated research.
“She is one of the brightest students I’ve ever worked with,” Hill adds. “She is exceptionally hard working, very responsible, and I have the utmost confidence that she can bring it to fruition.”
If she is able to produce interesting or significant results, Hill says Coyer will present her findings at a scientific meeting, such as one sponsored by the Society for Neuroscientists, the Northeast Undergraduate Research on Neuroscience.
“Depending on the quality of the findings, it might be enough to merit a scientific journal article,” she adds.
Coyer decided to attend Lafayette because of its neuroscience program, and her pursuit of the research is no surprise to those who know her.
“It’s rare for a college of this size to have such a well developed neuroscience program,” she explains. “The best aspect of the program is the fact that it is so interdisciplinary, and this allows students to develop an understanding of the brain from a physical/chemical level to a behavioral/cognitive level.”
In addition, the availability of Hill to guide her research has helped Coyer succeed.
“I am excited to be working with [Hill] because of her enthusiasm and passion for her work,” Coyer says. “She is also very willing to listen to my ideas and treats her students like colleagues. By doing so, she creates an environment of independent and creative thinking. Working in her lab has enhanced my problem-solving skills, as unexpected problems come with the territory of research. She also works to expose her students to the breadth of the field of neuroscience and wants us to have every opportunity to learn about current issues and findings.”
Coyer says that one of her most valuable experiences as a neuroscience student was a trip to the Society for Neuroscience conference in New Orleans with Hill and Alyssa Picchini ’04. She was able to present her work at the main conference as well as at a gathering of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. She says, “It was amazing to actually meet some of the scientists whose work we read and follow.”
Coyer is a member of the Lafayette Society of Neuroscience and Lafayette Activities Forum. In 2002, she conducted research in the neuroscience field with Jay M. Weiss ’62, Jenny C. Adams Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University, Atlanta, Ga., through the Lafayette Alumni Research Network. A teaching assistant for Classical Piano and Physiological Psychology, Coyer is a peer tutor for a total of seven chemistry, physics, and psychology classes. She belongs to the Phi Beta Kappa and Psi Chi (psychology) honor societies and volunteers her time to Meals for the Homeless through Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center. She graduated from Slippery Rock High School.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars like Coyer receive special financial aid and distinctive educational experiences and benefits, including a three-week, Lafayette-funded study-abroad course during January’s interim session between semesters. Marquis Scholars also participate in cultural activities in major cities and on campus, and mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty.
Honors thesis projects are among several major opportunities at Lafayette that make the College a national leader in undergraduate research. Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Forty-two students were accepted to present their work at the last annual conference in April.
Goldwater Scholarship. Megan Coyer ’05 received the premier national undergraduate award of its type in math, science, and engineering. One of her research mentors is Wendy Hill, Rappolt Professor in Neuroscience.