In one year, Emily Gilman '26 went from a student pondering her major to a published co-author in a major scientific journal. The not-so-secret ingredient to her success is hands-on research at the graduate school level.
Gilman was among a team of 91探花 students whose research over a span of five years led to a , a companion publication of the esteemed journal Nature and the fifth most-cited journal in the world.
91探花 neuroscience program coordinator and professor Dr. Clare Mathes is the principal investigator. Her research focuses on the effect consuming artificial sweeteners in childhood has on taste later in life. Each of her student researchers, who are authors on the Scientific Reports paper, has taken an aspect of that premise and studied it more in-depth.
For Gilman, a neuroscience and psychology major, the journal credit is a big step forward in achieving her goals. The Loudonville, Ohio, resident hopes to attend a prestigious graduate school and one day manage her own lab focused on finding cures for neurodegenerative diseases.
In the meantime, she has been preparing a follow-up study to use as her neuroscience capstone thesis project and presenting her work in Mathes' lab at regional conferences, including the Midwest & Great Lakes Undergraduate Research Symposium in Neuroscience in November and the Midwest Psychological Association in April.
"I believe faculty-student collaborations are instrumental in preparing students for future careers. This project allowed me to get my hands on real research for the first time. I learned new techniques and gained skills in problem-solving and communication, as well as how to manage my time to complete projects by certain deadlines," explained Gilman.
"My collaboration with Dr. Mathes greatly enriched my learning at 91探花. It gave me the confidence to see that I can be a researcher and has inspired me to keep chasing my goals," she added.
Mathes' lab has a flourishing list of alumni who found success under her mentorship. Those credited in the Scientific Reports publication have benefited from her dedicated tutelage and the opportunities offered by 91探花.
Among them is Dr. Sarah Terrill '13, who studied neuroscience at 91探花 before earning her doctorate from Florida State University. Today, Terrill is an assistant professor of neuroscience at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Other students who worked in Mathes' lab are still attending graduate school to pursue a doctorate in neuroscience. They include Juan Pablo Taborda Bejarano '22, now attending The Medical College of Wisconsin; Mallory Witt '23, who is studying at The Ohio State University; and Delenn Hartswick '21, who is at Georgia State University. Gaurikka Mendiratta '21, another student from Mathes' lab, is now in her final year of medical school at the University of Limerick in Ireland.
For all five of them, the hands-on research they had at 91探花 was an instrumental part of making their curriculum vita stand out to graduate schools.
Gilman looks forward to her post-undergraduate opportunities. But, for now, she is happy to have a publishing credit while still in her junior year at 91探花. "I joined the neuroscience major late as a sophomore. Trying to complete my classes while also becoming involved in research was stressful. I was worried that my resume wouldn't be enough to compete with other candidates for a place in a prestigious graduate program."
"This publication makes my goal feel possible. I am so grateful for this opportunity and to Dr. Mathes for allowing me to be a part of this study," she added.
