Written By:以赛亚·哈德森 

希礼的人 is a May 2024 graduating senior who majored in 生物医学 Science at bet8体育娱乐入口. While completing her undergraduate degree she excelled academically as a Perry Honors student, 一直倡导STEM内部的多样性, 和 participated in the 本科 研究 Training Initiative for Student Enhancement program (U-RISE) at ODU. Person is not only an exemplary student but felt supported at ODU as an underrepresented student to be able to build her dominion 和 have the determination to want to break barriers after graduating from ODU.

Person’s father is in the Navy, 和 spent most of her childhood in Sasebo, Japan. 来自军人家庭, 努力工作的价值, 强烈的道德, 高尚的道德被灌输给她. 在她的家人搬回美国之后, she attended 和 graduated from high school in Washington State. When orders came for Person's father to be stationed in Virginia, they left the West Coast 和 made their way to the East Coast after her graduation. 在弗吉尼亚安顿下来之后, she learned about ODU 和 felt it “closely aligned with her future goals.”   

“我选择ODU是因为这里有研究设施, 社区, 并且能够获得负担得起的学位,珀森说。. “ODU takes care of its students 和 paves the way so that their research is possible 和 that's what makes the university special.” Deciding on 生物医学 Science as a major was easy because of her passion for the sciences.  

在适应了ODU之后, 有人发现了U-RISE, 多亏了道格拉斯·米尔斯的邮件, 生物科学系高级讲师. 

“I was delighted to find out this opportunity would give me the chance to conduct professional research,珀森说。. 在那个月晚些时候参加了Zoom的会议之后, it became apparent that she wanted to venture on this adventure.   

Joining U-RISE started her journey in professional research which led to her joining ODU’s Tick 研究 Team. “The U-RISE program is designed to assist underrepresented undergraduate students, 包括少数民族和残疾人, in cultivating their research abilities 和 professional skills, 为他们接受高等教育和职业生涯做准备,珀森说。. “The U-RISE Program can be an important steppingstone in one's career as a future research scientist.”

致力于本科生研究, Person works alongside experts in this field ODU’s Tick 研究 Team studies host-vector-pathogen systems from different perspectives. 这个团队的成员有着不同的研究背景, 从微生物遗传学到数学生态学. 

Person主要关注Tick团队的TickBot, which is a mechanical device used to reduce tick populations while keeping the impact on the environment to a minimum. Person implements limitations on the Tick Bot to find solutions for challenges the Tick Bot will face in real word conditions.   

Person highlights the work she has done with her principal investigator (PI) Chair 和 Professor, 冬青鱼钩, Ph.D., in the Department of Biological Sciences who runs the Tick team. 那个人说:“博士. 冬青鱼钩, 我的导师, allowed me the space 和 support to come up with my ideas 和 methods, 和, 最重要的是, 她没有事无巨细地管我.” “I was trusted to complete my work like a colleague trying to navigate the uncertainties of research.” 

Gaff高度评价了Person. “Ashley has been working in my lab for a couple of years on the TickBot project, which is a project at the intersection of tick biology 和 engineering. It was great to find a student who was interested in both areas,” said Gaff. 

Person looks back at her time at ODU 和 had the following to say, “在ODU, 我觉得实验室给了我最大的支持, ODU蜱虫实验室. The team created an atmosphere where I felt safe to ask questions 和 make mistakes to learn from. I appreciate the family culture the lab has created 和 how I was welcomed in so warmly on my first day.” While looking to further her education in her desired field she also found community in the process. “学术卓越的结合, 不同的社区, 专门的老师, 研究的机会, 社区参与使ODU成为一个特殊的学习场所, 成长, 并蓬勃发展,珀森说。.

“Being a woman 和 being a Black woman at that is everything to me 和 defying stereotypes, 挑战压迫制度, paving the way for the next generation to have a more inclusive 和 diverse scientific community,珀森说。. 她不仅对学习充满热情, but she also stresses the importance of inclusivity within her field. It's important to note that while Person advocates for diversity within the scientific community she is also breaking barriers within 社区 itself. 

“尽管STEM领域的女性面临着障碍, it is important to pursue 和 keep persevering your dreams because the next generation needs someone to look like them in the careers they want to pursue,珀森说。.  

毕业后5月4日, 2024, Person’s next steps include taking a year off to undertake a post baccalaureate at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before applying to graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in Environmental Science studying homeopathic approaches to illnesses.

致任何有兴趣加入U-RISE的人, 知情人士说, “简而言之, 本课程将培养研究技能, 专业前景, 和关系，推动你走向成功的未来. 最重要的是, I appreciated 我的导师 taking the time to get to know me 和 underst和 who I wanted to be 和 what I wanted to do in the future. I was astonished at their interest in me 和 how they used that information to cater their research to meet my future goals.”