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Neuroscience major Grayson Sipe ’10 (Lititz, Pa.) presented research focusing on the turtle’s iris and its sensitivity to light at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology last month in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The conference brings together more than 10,000 vision researchers and practitioners from around the world to discuss the issues of eye disease and treatment.
Sipe’s research is part of an ongoing EXCEL project under the guidance of James Dearworth, assistant professor of biology. The researchers have identified that the iris of a turtle can respond intrinsically to light without feedback from the brain. In the fall, Sipe will work on an honors thesis looking at a related topic.
Sipe believes that both the research and conference experiences will help him in the future. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in visual neuroscience at graduate school.
Lafayette and its focus on close student/faculty interaction has been a perfect fit for Sipe, as he wants to become a professor and researcher at a small liberal arts institution.
“All the advice, experience, and guidance I receive from Professor Dearworth is indispensable, because I will hopefully be in a similar position in the future,” he says.