A question-and-answer interview with 91导航 Marion alumna Madeline Ball
Bachelor of Science in Evolution and Ecology with Research Distinction, Minor in Biology, 91导航
Thesis: The ecology and evolution of bite force in geomorph rodents
Q: Tell me a little bit about the latest, most impactful research that you have been undertaking.
A: I鈥檓 in the process of finishing up my manuscript, so I鈥檓 not necessarily doing research now, but preparing my manuscript for publication. When I did my senior thesis, I got feedback from those on my thesis committee, so I have to make those changes to be able to publish it. I鈥檓 getting ready to apply for grad school, where I鈥檒l be doing a new research project. I鈥檝e talked to several potential advisors at different universities about what research projects I鈥檓 interested in pursuing.
Q: You鈥檙e going to graduate school, what鈥檚 the goal?
A: I hope to be able to teach at one of the smaller branch (regional) campuses as a professor.
Q: In biology, right?
A: Evolution and ecology or earth sciences. I want to do paleontology. I wouldn鈥檛 have considered this as a potential career path had it not been for meeting Dr. Jonathan Calede and being able to do research with him.
Q: What do you think it is about these smaller campuses that make research opportunities so available and impactful for undergraduate students?
A: I think a lot of it stems from the fact that you鈥檙e able to have close relationships with professors, that鈥檚 what establishes those connections from the beginning. A lot of the time, when you go to main campuses to try to do research, you find an application online and you have a bunch of people who don鈥檛 know you, and they don鈥檛 know any of the other applicants. They鈥檙e basing it on numbers and not necessarily evaluating you holistically. It is those closer relationships that are built in the classroom that make it easier for people to have access to research opportunities. And for what makes them more impactful鈥 It isn鈥檛 so much that they (branch campus students) were seeking these opportunities. It鈥檚 that they find themselves just running into position openings to do all different kinds of research at these campuses. You can find new passions this way, it can be life-changing.
Q: What has the impact of research opportunities been on your educational career and future career?
A: Huge. I had not even considered trying to pursue this (field) and certainly was not trying to pursue graduate school. That was not something that I thought I would do or even thought that I wanted.
Q: What was your original aspiration?
A: I think I wanted to do medical stuff. I started out as a nurse鈥檚 aide and then I came to Marion. I graduated high school when I was 16 and then I took a year off and started doing medical-related stuff and thought it was something I wanted to do, but I wasn鈥檛 fully committed to that by any means.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: I went to school in Marysville like many of the other students here. I think we have a lot of students who come from that area.
Q: What would you say to a prospective student or a young student who is just coming into 91导航 Marion about the opportunities you鈥檝e received in research? And opportunities you鈥檝e received in terms of exploration and growth?
A: I鈥檝e been writing my CV for graduate school applications and I am starting to look at how much support I鈥檝e gotten from the campus. Over the years, I鈥檝e received at least $7,000 in support for my research and endeavors. From going to conferences to going to field school. I think that鈥檚 not something I would have been able to do at the main (Columbus) campus. The opportunity is just not there for your average student. Being at Marion has been everything for me. I don鈥檛 know how well I would have succeeded if I had gone to the main (Columbus) campus, or really any large school鈥 It鈥檚 hard to even say if I would have completed my bachelor's degree if I started off there, truthfully.
Q: Why is that?
I have (received) a lot of support from my instructors. If they see me struggling, they ask 鈥淗ey, are you alright?鈥 They don鈥檛 do that on the main (Columbus) campus. They鈥檙e not going to check on you. The instructors here (at 91导航 Marion) are invested in you. They see the best in you, which I think is something that you don鈥檛 get anywhere else.
Q: Where have you traveled?
A: I presented in Phoenix, Arizona and that was my first time going out west. The experience was amazing. It was a big deal for me. I was exposed to people with different backgrounds since it was an international conference. Then I went to Chicago to a conference hosted by graduate students from the University of Chicago. I had been to Chicago before, but I believe that was my first time in the Field Museum. It is awesome to be able to be able to say I presented there. I recently went to Cincinnati for a conference as well. I also went to Switzerland for field school.
Q: Did you do work in the lab here on campus?
A: It鈥檚 kind of complicated. A lot of the research that I鈥檝e done is done using museum repositories. A lot of them are online now which is awesome鈥 Otherwise, you would need to pay the museum to package up a bunch of specimens to send to you and then you collect your data from them. We did that a few times, but I think those online repositories made my research possible.
Q: Thinking about not just Columbus campus but all other colleges and universities that you could have attended, how do you think going to 91导航 Marion has prepared you for grad school compared to some other places you potentially could have chosen?
A: I would say it鈥檚 the opportunities. For example, being able to do field school in Switzerland. That is something I can put on my CV that not many people can. The field school was selective. All of the opportunities I have found at the Marion campus and chose to take advantage of are what made me competitive as an applicant for the field school.
Q: Were you digging there or going through archives?
A: It was a dig, so we were out all day for two weeks. We were in the field digging for specimens. The first week and a half we didn鈥檛 really find much. There were 14 of us. On the second to last day, I found a partial fossil of a sea turtle鈥 I felt lucky to find that.
Q: Do you think you鈥檒l be back here teaching a young person like yourself?
A: I hope so. That鈥檚 my goal. The impact that the mentorship I have found here has had on my life cannot be overstated. Being able to provide that for somebody else from a position of leadership would mean a lot to me.