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Lafayette gave recent biology graduate Jenna Breslin ’06 (Brookline, Mass.) a head start on the veterinary career she’s wanted since she was a child.
Breslin conducted honors thesis research on the behavior small colorful fish called cichlids display in combative situations. Her successful thesis defense allowed her to receive her B.S. with honors during commencement ceremonies May 20. She will continue pursuing her dream of working with animals at University of Illinois.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do my whole life,” she says. “I’ve always worked with animals. I was the 10-year-old girl in the neighborhood who had the dog walking business. As soon as I worked at an animal hospital and was able to see some of the procedures, it just furthered my determination to go to vet school.”
Pursuit of a degree in veterinary science is no easy road, but Breslin believes Lafayette prepared her well. The cichlid experiments proved quite taxing, especially when the initial stages didn’t turn out as expected.
“This project was an especially challenging one for me. Aggressiveness in this species of cichlid hasn’t been studied very much,” Breslin explains. “We discovered in the first part of the experiment that the results were inconclusive. I was pretty discouraged at that point.”
Wayne Leibel, professor and head of biology, advised Breslin in examining changes in color and size when female cichlids were in combat and when they were trying to attract males.
Some observers believe that brighter cichlids are more aggressive. Though Breslin found no conclusive evidence to support that phenomenon in the species she studied, she did discover a different type of correlation between color and aggression in fighting and mating rituals.
“We think if we would break it down into time intervals we might see the female getting progressively brighter in response to the level of escalation in the fighting,” she says. “The more juiced they get, the brighter they get. It’s their way of displaying that they’re winning. It was pretty exciting that we did receive some information.”
Leibel says the thesis study helped Breslin identify various ways animals change appearance and what those changes signify. She also learned about animal husbandry, which will certainly benefit her as she continues her studies.
“Quite a bit of this project involved handling these live animals, keeping them in good shape, which is not a trivial thing,” Leibel says. “I’ve had other students who just don’t have a clue what to do. Animal behaviorists have to keep the things not only alive but also happy so they behave in a natural way that can be studied. For Jenna, it’s all about the animals.”
Leibel calls Breslin “highly motivated and persistent,” especially when confronted with obstacles in her research.
For Breslin, Lafayette served as the perfect platform from which to launch her career. She followed in the footsteps of her sister Gillian Breslin ’05, who also graduated with a B.S. biology and now attends New York Medical School.
“My goal in coming to school here was small class size and the opportunity to do research with a professor and ultimately enroll in veterinary school,” Breslin says. “Lafayette was fabulous; it’s been a great experience. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year; 40 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.