Submitted Photo BY SARAH KIESLING

When sophomore Shantee Scheel decided to take an early spring break vacation last year, she had no idea it would eventually lead to a life-changing summer research project in Colorado.

A biology major who calls Milwaukee home, Scheel spent the summer, from June 14 to Aug. 8, at the prestigious Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), a research institution in Crested Butte, Colo.

Scheel said she first learned of the opportunity while taking assistant professor Todd Wellnitz’s Biology 110 course.

Wellnitz told Scheel after spring break last year that if she could provide references, there would be an opportunity to create her own research project in Colorado. She jumped at the opportunity.

“I was really excited about it,” Scheel said. “I was thinking, ‘This is amazing. I’m a freshman; I’ve never been able to experience anything like this. Eau Claire is amazing.'”

At first, Scheel didn’t know exactly what she would be doing in Colorado, but she piled in a car with her mother and aunt to brace for the 19-hour drive.

The beauty of the environment was incredible, she said.

“You could see the Milky Way arch across the sky every night, and full moons were not like anything I had ever seen before,” she said.

Upon arriving in Colorado, Scheel brainstormed research topics with Eau Claire alumnus Bill Hintz, who was Scheel’s lab instructor for Bio 110, before deciding to test the aspects of streams that have an effect on the biological diversity. She was interested in learning how the speed of currents affects what species thrive in a stream.

While the data Scheel collected wasn’t exactly what she expected, Wellnitz said the research she worked so hard on suggested interesting patterns. She still has data to work with from the project.

In addition to her research, Scheel attended Tuesday seminars at RMBL, where scientists gave hour-long lectures sharing their past and present research.

Even the students who were working at RMBL were given the opportunity to present their research in 10-minute

presentations.

Scheel said research topics at RMBL are diverse and include studies on global warming, aphid interactions, butterflies and ornithology, to name a few. A RMBL scientist also now serves as a science adviser to President Obama.

She also took a wildlife biology class from Eau Claire assistant professor Chris Floyd while working this summer. Scheel said it was nice to be able to work with two professors from Eau Claire while doing research of her own.

Much of the class focused on mammals and birds, Scheel said.

Floyd described Scheel’s in-class presence as good-natured and positive. He said the class focused heavily on research and was spent almost entirely in the field.

“It was like college outdoors,” Scheel said.

The trip has affected her life in different ways, she said, depending on which aspect of her life she is considering.

“From Oregon, to New Hampshire, to Connecticut, to Florida, to Texas, to Colorado, to California – I just fell in love with people there. It really did change my life.”

Speaking of friends, Scheel noted an especially exciting Fourth of July, where she and other women from the research site dressed in veratrum – otherwise known as “skunk cabbage” because of its foul smell during winter – for a celebratory parade. Afterwards, the firemen sprayed all the scientists at the end of the parade, who also yelled a chant that represented their facility: “R-M-B-L, R-M-B-L, What do you do? Science!”

Wellnitz added that the social component of RMBL is also special because it’s a community where many friendships are made.

The trip to Colorado has better prepared Scheel for studies in biology and made her a more confident student, she said.

“I have learned so much about how to do science,” she said. “I’ve been in my classes now, and said, ‘yeah, I can do this, this is going to be way easier,’ whereas last year I was really overwhelmed with it.”

Part of that is knowing that experiments can go wrong, and there is no telling what will happen in a given study, she said.

“You just have to think of ways to make up for that,” she said. If you’re going to do science, you need to do it to understand it. That’s how you learn.”

Scheel said she doesn’t know what exactly the future holds for her, but she might have an interest in eventually becoming a professor.

Because Scheel is multicultural and has African roots, she said genetics also interest her as a way of finding out more about herself.

Whatever she ends up doing, Scheel said she’s had an interest in science for as long as she can remember, and science classes have always been her favorite.

Wellnitz said doing research as an undergraduate is critical. Most students start doing their research during their junior or senior year, he said, adding that the problem-solving skills students learn by doing research can translate to any career.

Scheel said she was one of the youngest people at the RMBL facility, and Wellnitz said that’s great because the sooner students get started doing research, the better they will become later.

Floyd said he thought the experience was a challenge for Scheel, but a good one.

He and his colleagues often think back toward the beginning of their careers, maybe 20 years ago, and can point to great challenges that mark the beginning of something in them, he said. He said this might have been that kind of experience for Scheel. “It was a baby step, but I think it was a huge step,” he said.

Here in Eau Claire, Scheel is the vice president of the biology club. Her plans with the club this year are to clean up parks around the area and to offer some education on how to conserve the environment.

“I’ve learned this summer: you can never know everything, but there’s no reason not to try,” she said.

Floyd said, “I think she’s on the right trajectory, where if she really wants to do research, she’s going to excel at it.”