biology

Soccer Study: Team Dynamics Matter More Than Individual Talent

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Miyani Sonera driving downfield during a Kalamazoo College women's soccer game
For Miyani Sonera ’27, a biology project about soccer was as much about learning the research process as it was about the result. “Getting to design a study, analyze data and see it published, that was incredible,” she said. “It showed me how much there is to explore when you ask the right questions.”

In soccer, chemistry might outweigh star power.

A new study from Kalamazoo College, published in Football Studies, found that a soccer player’s individual ability accounts for only about 11% of performance variation in small-sided games. Their combination with teammates? Roughly double that.

In the study, Associate Professor Santiago Salinas, soccer alumnus Shun Yonehara ’24 and student-athlete Miyani Sonera ’27 ran 78 small-sided matches—three-on-three, men and women, rotating teammates through ever-changing combinations. Because each athlete played with many different teammates, the researchers were able to separate the influence of individual ability from the impact of specific teammate combinations.

The research drew inspiration from an unlikely source in quantitative genetics. “In biology, we often separate the effects of genes and environment to understand why organisms differ,” Salinas said. “We realized we could apply the same idea to soccer. Players are like genotypes, teammates are the environment, and performance is the resulting phenotype.” 

What they found surprised even the researchers. Individual player effects accounted for only about 11% to 12% of the variation in performance, while teammate combinations explained 20% to 23%. The rest, nearly two-thirds, remained unpredictable, likely influenced by opponent dynamics, moment-to-moment decisions, and the inherent randomness of low-scoring games. 

“When you actually see the numbers, it’s eye-opening,” Yonehara said. “I expected teamwork to matter, but I didn’t expect individual impact to be that small.” 

For Yonehara, the research question was personal. A biology major who played soccer throughout his life, he had long felt that games are won in moments that often miss the highlight reels.

“People talk about great teams like they’re just a collection of great individuals,” he said. “But from playing, you know that without cohesion, without players doing the unseen work, the whole thing falls apart.”

The study also compared match performance with traditional skill assessments including passing accuracy, dribbling speed, shooting precision and ball control. Those measures, commonly used in evaluations and tryouts, did not strongly predict how much a player helped their team in games.

“That was a big takeaway for me,” Sonera said. “Being great in isolated drills doesn’t necessarily translate to being effective in real gameplay.”

Sonera, who has loved soccer since childhood, was drawn to the project because it merged science with a sport built on collaboration.

“Soccer demands understanding your teammates,” she said. “That’s part of what makes it beautiful. This research puts numbers behind that idea.”

Shun Yonehara during a rainy Kalamazoo College men's soccer game
Shun Yonehara ’24 currently works as a research assistant for Momoko Yoshimoto, an associate professor at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, M.D., School of Medicine.
Santiago Salinas, one of five endowed chairs, kneels in a river
Associate Professor of Biology Santiago Salinas traditionally teaches classes such as vertebrate biology and human physiology. His research interests include his work in the K Fish Lab, where he and his student collaborators study the ways fish populations cope with changes in the environment.

In the men’s dataset, the researchers observed that teams made up of complementary roles such as a scorer, a facilitator and a defensive-minded player tended to outperform teams of similar player types. Although that pattern did not appear in the women’s data, Salinas cautioned that the difference might reflect sample size rather than a fundamental distinction.

Together, the results challenge conventional approaches to scouting and performance analysis, which often rely on individual statistics or fixed lineups.

“Our findings suggest that some players make everyone around them better,” Salinas said. “But that kind of impact is hard to see unless players are tested in multiple contexts.”

Sonera hopes coaches take that message seriously.

“I’d like to see coaches think beyond who looks best on their own,” she said. “Building balanced lineups and focusing on how players connect could make a huge difference.”

Yonehara echoed that idea, comparing team building to constructing a well-balanced system rather than collecting stars.

“It’s like building chemistry in a video game or a trading card deck,” he said. “It’s not just about rating, it’s about fit.”

Although the study focused on soccer, the researchers believe the approach could apply broadly across team sports, particularly those that are fluid and fast paced, such as basketball or hockey.

For the research team, the findings support a long-held belief in team sports that what matters is not just who the players are, but how they work together.

This Student Looked to the Past to Help Protect the Great Lakes Today

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Student in a hat and jacket holding a fish he caught
Luke Werner ’26 holds a pike.

On summer mornings along the shores of the Great Lakes, Kalamazoo College student Luke Werner ’26 recognizes the rhythm of the water as something almost instinctive, shaped by years of fishing trips, charter boats and stories of salmon runs. And what began as a personal connection to Michigan’s waters became something far more ambitious: a deep historical investigation into how those waters were nearly lost and what their past can teach us about protecting them today. 

Werner spent the past year immersed in archives, government reports and decades-old ecological data to complete his Senior Integrated Project (SIP). Unlike many sustainability-focused projects rooted in biology or environmental science, Werner’s work emerged from the history department—an intentional choice that underscores a central argument of his research: understanding environmental crises requires an understanding of the past. 

His project traces the rise, collapse and partial recovery of fish populations in the Great Lakes, revealing how human decisions over centuries, rather than a single ecological disruption, set the stage for disaster. 

“I wanted to go back and really look at the history of the region,” Werner said. “We tend to latch onto big moments, including the invasions and the tipping points. But the more I learned, the more I realized those were just the final dominoes.” 

A Crisis Centuries in the Making 

Long before invasive species such as sea lampreys and alewives devastated the lakes in the mid-20th century, the ecosystem had already been strained by human impact. Werner points to a gradual shift away from the reciprocal relationship Indigenous communities such as the Anishinaabe had with the land. 

“The crisis wasn’t just caused by these fish showing up,” he said. “It was enabled by hundreds of years of decisions, including overfishing, damming rivers and pollution. We refused to cooperate with the lakes.” 

By the time invasive species entered through shipping routes and canals, native fish populations were already vulnerable. The result was catastrophic as sea lampreys decimated large fish, while alewife numbers escalated. 

“It genuinely became an international crisis,” Werner said. “You had industries collapsing, thousands of jobs lost, and entire ecosystems out of balance.” 

The Man Behind the Salmon 

In the 1950s, Howard Tanner, a fisheries biologist, was at the center of the most pivotal response to that crisis, as his bold proposal helped reshape the Great Lakes. 

Student holding up a fish he caught near the Great Lakes
Werner holds a large mouth bass.

Sustainability SIP Symposium Scheduled 

Kalamazoo College will celebrate Environmental Education Week April 20-24. Events will include the annual Sustainability SIP Symposium on April 22, which is Earth Day, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The event will honor more than a dozen students from a variety of majors who pursued themes of climate change, the environment, and sustainability in their research and projects. For more information, watch envirostewardship.kzoo.edu.  

Tanner, who had experience studying salmon in the Western United States, proposed introducing Pacific salmon, specifically coho and Chinook, into the Great Lakes as a biological control for alewives. 

“He knew salmon were strong, cold-water fish that could survive in the lakes,” Werner said. “And more importantly, they prey on alewives.” 

At the time, the idea was far from an assured solution. Introducing another non-native species carried risks, especially in an already unstable ecosystem. But Tanner framed it as a calculated, science-driven intervention. 

“It was a gamble, but it was an intentional one,” Werner said. “That’s the difference. These fish were chosen.” 

Within a year of Tanner’s proposal, hundreds of thousands of salmon were released into the lakes. The alewife populations plummeted, and a new recreational fishing economy took shape. 

“Tanner’s work didn’t just help stabilize the ecosystem,” Werner said. “It created this entire multi-billion-dollar recreational industry that still exists today.” 

A Solution That Requires Constant Attention 

Werner is careful not to describe the salmon introduction as a clean victory. 

“It’s more like it was managed into something sustainable and only with constant effort,” he said. 

Today, fish populations in the Great Lakes are still carefully balanced through a combination of stocking decisions, invasive species control and strict regulations. Too many salmon can deplete alewife populations, which in turn harms the salmon themselves. Too few salmon allow alewives to rebound. 

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” Werner said. “They actually have to adjust how many salmon they introduce each year to keep everything in balance.” 

That balancing act extends beyond species management. Werner points to modern environmental protections such as limits on commercial fishing, pollution controls and habitat preservation as direct responses to past failures. 

At one point, Michigan alone had more than 10,000 commercial fishing licenses. Today, that number has dropped to just a few dozen. 

“That’s one of the biggest changes,” he said. “We’ve shifted from this mindset of extraction to something much more intentional.” 

Why History Matters 

For Werner, the most important takeaway from his project isn’t just what happened, but how we understand it. 

“It’s really critical to analyze and reflect on our past,” he said. “We repeat the same mistakes all the time if we don’t.” 

By placing environmental issues in a historical context, his work reveals the complexity behind them, showing that crises are rarely sudden and solutions are rarely simple. 

“Being a history major, it’s impossible for me to take things at face value,” Werner said. “There are always layers—economic, social, political—that shape what happens.” 

That perspective, he argues, is essential for anyone working in sustainability. 

“I wanted to move beyond the big headlines, the big titles, and the simple understanding of history and look at the myriad causes of these issues from the late 1600s through the 1950s,” he said. “Realistically, there were hundreds of different factors that led to this crisis.” 

Looking Ahead 

As Werner considers a future in environmental work—whether with state agencies, conservation groups or fisheries management—his SIP serves as a capstone and a starting point. What began as a personal connection to the Great Lakes has evolved into a deeper understanding of how fragile yet resilient those systems can be. 

“It’s changed how I see the lakes,” he said. “It’s not just about what’s in them, it’s about our relationship with them.” 

As his research clarifies, that relationship—shaped over centuries—will determine how the Great Lakes are sustained for generations to come. 

“If we could get some agreements between governments—even if it’s just state and provincial governments—I think that would be a big boon for the environmental and economic success of the region,” he said. 

What’s for Lunch? 25 Years of Inspired Science in Schools

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Sisters in Science experiment
Pauline Hawkes ’26 leads Luella Tresca, Lu Moon and Adwin Williams in a science experiment.
Sisters in Science experiment

One recent afternoon at Northglade Montessori Magnet School in Kalamazoo, fourth and fifth graders gathered around a table for a simple science experiment involving water, soap and glitter. 

“Think about what happens when germs spread,” a college student presenting the experiment told them. 

Moments later, a finger dipped into the mixture, and the glitter scattered across the surface of the water. The room filled with laughter, surprise and a few delighted yells of “Whoa!” 

For the kids, it looked like magic. For the mentors leading the activity, it was something more powerful. It was a chance to spark curiosity about science through a lesson that showed just how quickly illnesses can jump from one person to another. 

The demonstration was one small moment in a program that has quietly shaped young learners in Kalamazoo for a quarter century. Sisters in Science—a student organization at Kalamazoo College—is celebrating its 25th anniversary of presenting hands-on STEM experiences to local kids. The group partners with Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo to visit youths at Northglade and Woodward Elementary, where K students run experiments and serve as mentors for children discovering science in new ways. 

A Founding Conversation 

Sisters in Science owes its existence to a chance conversation on a school sidewalk. Regina Stevens-Truss, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry at K and the program’s faculty advisor since its founding, arrived at Northglade in 2001 to pick up her children. A sixth-grade teacher pulled her aside with a question that would stay with her. 

The teacher had noticed that her female sixth-grade students consistently outperformed the boys in math and science. But when she saw those same students again in ninth grade, something had changed. The girls who once loved science no longer seemed interested. She wanted to know why. 

Stevens-Truss couldn’t stop thinking about that conversation. Research backed what the teacher had observed: girls often lose interest in science and math during the transition from elementary school to junior high, as social pressures begin to reframe those subjects as less compatible with femininity. She brought the idea of a mentorship program to the chemistry department’s office coordinator, who suggested the name Sisters in Science, and then to Leslie Tung, who was serving as interim provost at the time. Tung pointed out that every department in the science division had at least one female faculty member, and he encouraged Stevens-Truss to build a program in which K students would mentor girls at Northglade. 

Sisters in Science launched as a one-on-one mentoring program, pairing individual K students with sixth-grade girls at the school in a big sister, little sister model. The pairs would meet weekly to talk about science, math and what it meant to be a young woman with those interests. As demand grew and the sixth grade was moved to the middle school, the model shifted from individual pairings to group sessions at Northglade, and now also at Woodward Elementary School. While the program originally focused on encouraging girls to pursue science, feedback from students led Northglade organizers to expand participation so boys could join as well. The college mentors remain the “sisters” leading the activities, but the sessions now welcome all students. The change reflects the program’s broader mission, which is to make science accessible to everyone. 

From Lunch Tables to Laboratories 

The program is simple but effective. Students bring their lunches into a classroom, where the college volunteers introduce a short experiment. Before long, the room becomes a laboratory filled with egg drops, slime, miniature rockets and glitter experiments. 

“They eat their lunch, and then they pretty much jump right into it,” said Emma Braford, a site coordinator at Northglade for Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo. “They’re always very hands-on. It’s all very fun and interactive things that get the kids really engaged with science and loving science in a way that’s not just textbooks.” 

The program typically serves about 30 elementary students across the partner schools, with three to five K students guiding activities each visit. Over the course of the school year, the mentors work with the same groups of children, building relationships along the way. That mentorship, Braford said, can be just as important as the science lessons themselves. 

“I think it’s cool for them to have that older peer mentor relationship,” she said. “The college students intentionally get to know four or five of the students really well over that time.” 

Opening Doors to Science 

Sisters in Science is led this year by Pauline Hawkes ’26 and Madison Vrba ’26. 

For Vrba, a biochemistry major, the organization represents a natural blend of two passions, science and mentorship. Before joining Sisters in Science, she worked as a pitching instructor for young softball players and discovered how empowering it could be for young girls to realize what they could do. 

“When girls feel confident exploring science and asking questions, it not only benefits them individually but also strengthens the entire scientific community,” Vrba said. 

Historically, STEM fields have been male dominated, she noted, which can make it harder for girls to picture themselves in those careers. Programs like Sisters in Science help change that narrative by introducing science early and making it approachable. 

Success, Vrba said, often comes in small moments. 

“If even one student walks away feeling more confident about science or more interested in learning how things work, I consider that a success,” she said. 

Inspired to Give Back 

For Hawkes, a biology major who hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy, the motivation to mentor younger students is personal. 

Growing up, she watched her mother navigate a series of back injuries and surgeries, which sparked her interest in the human body and how it works. She also had an influential role model close to home in her older sister, Isabelle Hawkes ’24, who was also involved in Sisters in Science. 

“I’ve always looked up to her,” Hawkes said. “She was able to answer questions and help me understand things when I was struggling. I want to be that resource for other people and open doors they might not know existed.” 

Each week during the academic term, Hawkes and other leaders visit partner schools for two days between classes. The goal isn’t simply to perform experiments, she said. “We’re just learning together,” Hawkes said. “It’s a safe, comfortable space where they’re not afraid to ask questions or try different things.” 

Learning Science Through Discovery 

But the lessons go beyond the experiments. Sometimes, students are surprised simply to learn that the College mentors are studying science themselves. 

“I’ve heard some of them say things like, ‘We didn’t know you could study this in college,’” Braford said. “It gives them a broader perspective of different career options that exist.” 

“It’s important for everyone to see what’s possible,” Hawkes said. “This is where you’re developing your interests.” 

That openness, along with the enthusiasm of both the college mentors and elementary students, helps explain the program’s longevity. 

One alumna whose connection to Sisters in Science continues to resonate is Caitlyn VanGelderen ’12. She was deeply devoted to the program during her time at K. Caitlyn loved combining her passion for chemistry with her commitment to mentoring younger students, and she found joy in helping elementary girls discover their own interest in science. Since her passing in 2020, her parents have honored that passion by making annual donations to support Sisters in Science in her memory, ensuring the work that meant so much to her continues to inspire new young scientists. 

“I think people want to be part of it,” Hawkes said. “There’s always going to be interest in teaching kids about science and letting them do experiments they might not otherwise have the opportunity to try.” 

A Spark for the Future 

As Sisters in Science marks its 25th anniversary, the leaders hope to celebrate the milestone with commemorative T-shirts for participants and increased visibility for the program. But the true impact is less tangible. It’s the moment when a student’s eyes widen during an experiment, the moment when a child asks a question no one expected, or the moment when a young student realizes science might be something they love. 

“Science can sometimes feel intimidating,” Vrba said. “But programs like this show students that it can also be creative, fun and something they’re a part of.” 

Stevens-Truss sees the secret to its longevity in the relationships it builds across multiple constituencies at once: the K students who join as first-year students and grow into leaders, the elementary students who see themselves reflected in the mentors above them, and the community partners who have been with the program since the beginning. 

Stevens-Truss said she does little to keep the program running year to year. Each spring, the current leaders identify their successors. Each fall, she reaches out to those students, and they take it from there. The group maintains its own website and keeps its supplies—reagents and materials for experiments—in a cabinet in the science building. 

“There’s never been a year since we started Sisters in Science that the program has not run,” she said. “I don’t hound them; they come to me.” 

And if the excitement in those classrooms is any indication, the next 25 years of Sisters in Science might inspire just as many future scientists as the first. 

Sisters in Science experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
College student and child performing experiment
College student and child performing experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
Kids performing experiments

Study Abroad Leads to Marine Research Adventure

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A student and professor performing marine research in the Galapagos Islands
Hailey Yoder ’26 (right) teamed up with Cheryl Logan, a professor at Cal State Monterey Bay, on labeling tubes for data collection in the field.
A view from the shore in the Galapagos Islands where Hailey Yoder performed marine research
Yoder’s favorite hike in the Galapagos Islands took her to a tide-pooling area where she saw starfish, small fish, crabs and small octopi.

When Hailey Yoder ’26 tells people she researches coral reefs, their response is often the same: “You live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. How do you do that?”  

For Yoder, a Kalamazoo College double major in biology and Spanish, the answer is both simple and extraordinary: It started with sending an email.  

That email, sent during her study abroad program in Ecuador, connected her with Margarita Brandt, a biology professor at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, who works with Galápagos Reef Revival. What began as a conversation about potential research ideas soon evolved into an opportunity to study coral reef restoration in the Galápagos Islands.  

“We just clicked and worked really well together,” Yoder said. “She invited me onto a project, and I really was just hoping that it would work out.”  

Bringing Coral Reefs Back to Life  

Yoder’s research starts with how climate change and ocean acidification have affected coral reefs in the Galápagos. The islands once boasted several coral reefs, but many have been wiped out by bleaching, leaving remaining structures vulnerable to complete destruction.  

The restoration process involves collecting coral fragments from around the islands and growing them in underwater gardens, where they’re suspended from ropes and nourished by ocean currents. Once mature, researchers implant them into the seafloor in organized patterns. To assess the impact, Yoder used GoPro cameras mounted in waterproof cases and weighted with zip ties—nothing fancy, she noted—placing them at consistent locations near restored coral sites. Through snorkeling expeditions, she positioned the cameras to capture the ecosystem unfolding around eight or nine individual corals. All the research was done under permits from Galápagos National Park and CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.  

The results have been striking. At the first site Yoder analyzed, two new fish species appeared after restoration. Afterward, four or five additional species flourished.  

Community at the Center  

What distinguishes this research is its deep connection to local communities. The project employs Galápagos residents, including one community member who maintains and monitors the corals year-round. Researchers also lead programs bringing women and children—particularly those without previous opportunities to explore their island’s underwater world—on snorkeling expeditions to witness the restoration firsthand.  

“There are intricacies to coming into someone else’s home to perform research,” Yoder said. “I tried to focus on community and the local knowledge that people have.”  

This community-centered approach culminated in a symposium in the Galápagos, where Yoder presented her research entirely in Spanish. She created a Spanish-language research poster and discussed her findings with community members invested in their island’s ecological future.  

“They were all super excited about it and thought it was really cool,” she said. “It was pretty fun to be able to have that connection, too.”  

Taking Marine Research to the National Stage  

Yoder’s work has gained recognition beyond the islands. This January, she traveled to Portland, Oregon, to present a poster at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) conference, arriving just before K’s winter term began and returning during the first week of classes.  

The conference provided invaluable networking opportunities. A postdoctoral student from Boston’s National Institute of Health, who had previously worked with the same corals and researchers, offered career guidance and suggestions for future research directions. Yoder connected also with fellow undergraduates navigating similar paths.  

“With these conversations, I recognized that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong path to going into some sort of research like this,” Yoder said. “That was reassuring.”  

K’s Role in Marine Success  

Yoder credits K’s biology and Spanish departments along with the Center for International Programs with making her research possible. In all, they provided funds through: 

  • The Betty R. Gómez Lance Award in Latin American Studies, which was established by Lance after her retirement from K. It has been awarded posthumously until her passing in 2016; 
  • Jim and Deanna Tiefenthal Endowed Foreign Study Fund: established by Jim and Deanna (members of the class of 1966) in 2016 to support student international learning opportunities through K’s study abroad program; and 
  • Seminary Hill Sustainability Internship: established by Doug Doetsch ’79 and his wife, Susan Manning, to fund internships focused on sustainable agriculture or architecture.    
Marine research team poses near the ocean after a day of collecting data
Emma Saso (back row, from left), Daniel Velasco, José Barrios and Ava Besecker with Logan (front from left), Yoder and Catalina Ulloa after a full day of collecting data for marine projects.
Student in snorkeling gear while performing marine research
Yoder waited on the rocks right off of the bay where the coral sites are located, just after placing video cameras. “We waited here for 15 minutes as to not disturb the fish community and be out of the way before recollecting the cameras,” she said.
Student prepares to perform research in a wet suit
Yoder prepares to place cameras before snorkeling around to get a feel for the location and different plots and determine the most efficient way to take quality videos. 
An underwater view of a coral reef and a shark
Yoder had GoPro cameras mounted in waterproof cases and weighted with zip ties so they could be placed at consistent locations near restored coral sites.

Associate Professor of Biology Santiago Salinas has been particularly supportive, helping Yoder refine her research question while providing guidance as she writes her SIP. Professor of Biology Binney Girdler has assisted with data visualization and helped Yoder narrow her focus. The department also helped fund her Portland conference trip.  

“They were supportive and beyond excited for me,” Yoder said. “To have a professor you look up to say that you’re doing something they’re proud of is so cool.”  

An Unexpected Love for Corals  

Yoder admits she initially gravitated toward sharks within the field of general biology, not coral reef or fish. However, the research transformed her perspective.  

“I gained this strong love for corals, because the way they work is so interesting, and they provide so many amazing services for the land and fish that they’re near,” she said.  

Her biology major, enhanced by marine research experience, positions her well for graduate school. She has applied to a master’s program to work with a different researcher studying the same coral reefs, with hopes of returning to the Galápagos over the next year to collect data from different reefs and expand her video collection. Her ultimate goal is to publish her research.  

“My knowledge is so much stronger because of the undergrad opportunity,” Yoder said. “But this master’s program will be a huge thing as well, because it will allow me to dive into the specifics and work more closely with coral scientists.”  

Advice for Future Hornets  

For prospective biology students, Yoder emphasized the opportunities available to those willing to pursue them. But opportunity requires initiative.  

“Sending the first email was just the first step of all of the things I’ve had a chance to do, because K gives you so many opportunities,” Yoder said. “You just need to be able to take advantage of them. Those resources will be there, but you have to reach out and ask for them. The answer is going to be ‘yes,’ if they can make it work.”  

Her message is clear: “Send the email and do the thing you want to do. Advocate for yourself.”  

For Yoder, that single email led to underwater gardens in the Galápagos Islands, international research presentations, professional connections across the marine biology field, and a future dedicated to understanding and protecting coral reef ecosystems—all from Kalamazoo, Michigan.  

Pitcher’s Thistle Protectors Collaborate on Beaver Island

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Three students taking notes on plants on Beaver Island
By the end of the summer, Caleb Jenkins ’26, Willow Hayner ’27 and Mairin Boshoven ’25 had recorded data on nearly a thousand Pitcher’s thistle seedlings, some barely a half-centimeter tall, on Beaver Island.
A bee gathers pollen from a Pitcher's thistle plant
Pollinators such as bees, monarchs and hummingbirds rely on Pitcher’s thistle for food in the early spring before much else blooms.

Surrounded by the waters of Lake Michigan, between the state’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, three Kalamazoo College students spent their summer with Professor of Biology Binney Girdler, studying a small species of plant that fulfills big roles.

Caleb Jenkins ’26, Willow Hayner ’27 and Mairin Boshoven ’25 devoted their days to researching and protecting Pitcher’s thistle, a rare and threatened yet important plant on Beaver Island, where the students spent a couple of months at a remote hub for scientific activity: Central Michigan University’s Biological Station.

Pitcher’s thistle grows only on the shores of the western Great Lakes, Jenkins said, where it began to spread thousands of years ago as a huge glacier traveled northward, depositing minerals and sand.

“As the glacier melted, it gave us our Great Lakes,” Jenkins said. “From that, Pitcher’s thistle established roots deep within the Earth. As it grows, it collects more and more sand as the sand drifts and storms wash up deposits, assisting dune grasses in building dunes. Those dunes have developed into areas like the Sleeping Bear Dunes and Wilderness State Park.”

Studies in Wisconsin have shown that entire swaths of Pitcher’s thistle have been wiped out by an invasive weevil called Larinus planus, which destroys the plant’s seeds. Beaver Island is unique because researchers have yet to find any evidence of the weevils there. Their absence helps make the island an ideal spot for the pollinators that rely on Pitcher’s thistle for food in the early spring before much else blooms. It also provided Jenkins, Hayner and Boshoven with a perfect environment for their research, conducting tests and measurements that contribute to the plant’s conservation.

Even the deer on Beaver Island, whose growing numbers are hurting populations of other plants, seem to be having less impact on Pitcher’s thistle.

“The seedlings of the Pitcher’s thistle tend to be the most vulnerable,” Boshoven said. “The deer might step on a few or bite them, but the plants tend to be very resilient. Humans would be much more of a threat to the plant’s population than deer.”

CMU’s Biological Station is a nucleus for scientists and students from across the country. Hayner said K’s representatives were collecting data during the day while evenings brought talks from visiting researchers from organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.

“These groups often gave lectures on their research, and it was amazing to meet them and learn about their work,” Hayner said. “We also got to work in Binney’s lab, right next to the shores of Lake Michigan. As an added bonus, we were able to participate in the end-of-summer open house and poster show to present our research to the public.”

Much of the team’s daily work involved close observation—very close observation.

“There was a lot of crawling involved,” Jenkins recalled with a laugh. “We’d be hunched over the plants in the sand, and when people walked by asking what we were doing, we’d pop our heads up like groundhogs and say, ‘We’re measuring plants!’”

By the end of the summer, the group had recorded data on nearly a thousand seedlings, some barely a half-centimeter tall. Beyond the data, the project connected the students with the island community, whose residents deeply value Beaver Island’s natural plant and animal systems and appreciate research on species vital to the island’s ecology.

“You don’t have to convince anyone there why conservation matters,” Boshoven said. “They already know. One of my favorite moments was sharing our findings at the open house and seeing how excited people were about the research. It felt like conservation was happening in real time.”

All three students credit Girdler for fostering an environment that balances challenges with encouragement.

“Binney never pressured us just to produce results,” Jenkins said. “I could lay out what I’d learned and what I understood and say, ‘Here’s where I am.’ She was more than happy to meet us in the middle. That level of understanding is an extra bit of humanity you usually don’t get in academic settings.”

“She met us where we were and encouraged us to keep going, even when things went wrong.” Hayner added. “She’s an outstanding mentor. I learned so much just being part of her lab and hope to continue working with her on data analysis this year.”

For Boshoven, the experience has been transformative.

“My first summer there opened my eyes to what fieldwork could be,” she said. “Now I know I want to go to grad school not just for the degree, but for the process of doing the research. It really taught me how and why I want to structure my work in the future.”

Boshoven expects such enthusiasm to spread to the next generations of K students.

“The program Dr. Girdler has built is so well thought out,” Boshoven said. “Academically, it’s a great experience; she will follow it through with you all the way to publishing research, which is impressive for undergraduates. It has made me an exponentially better researcher. On the other hand, it was also just a great time.”

Jenkins said the experience solidified his own dream of becoming a conservation biologist.

“Anyone who knows me knows I’m a plant guy,” he said. “If I can spend the rest of my life studying plants and teaching people about them, I absolutely will.”

Hayner, too, found the project has influenced her long-term goals.

“I’m not totally sure where I’ll end up, but I know I want to keep doing fieldwork,” she said. “This showed me how passionate I am about plant ecology.”

Three students research Pitcher's thistle on Beaver Island
Jenkins, Hayner and Boshoven joined Professor of Biology Binney Girdler this summer on Beaver Island to research Pitcher’s thistle, a threatened species of plant.
Three people on a ferry to Beaver Island
The remote location of Beaver Island required the research team to take a ferry from Charlevoix, Michigan, to their summer home.

Professor Proud of Students, Beaver Island Research

Professor of Biology Binney Girdler said she’s proud of all of her students who perform research, especially Jenkins, Hayner and Boshoven, who did so in such a remote place.

“From Kalamazoo, it’s a three-and-a-half-hour road trip followed by a two-hour ferry ride,” she said. “There is one small grocery store on the island, one gas station where gas is $6 a gallon and four restaurants. But on the plus side, the students had 300 feet of sugar sand Lake Michigan beach at their disposal, and the lake to go jump in whenever they wanted. I was incredibly proud of each of them for their creativity and dedication. Each student had their own piece of the puzzle. I was really impressed with what a great team these three scholars made. Even though they each had ownership of a different part of the project, they coordinated their work well so that they traded jobs and supported each other through challenges, especially when I was off-island. My students were professional and engaging, and community members told me what a great job they did presenting.”

What is Pitcher’s Thistle?

  • Named after: Zina Pitcher, a U.S. Army surgeon at Fort Brady and an amateur naturalist. He discovered the plant in the 1820s along Lake Superior.
  • Scientific name: Cirsium pitcheri or CIPI for short.
  • Range: Native only to the dunes of Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior.
  • Status: Federally threatened in the U.S., federally endangered in Canada.
  • Ecological role: Stabilizes sand dunes with deep roots; blooms early to feed pollinators such as bees, monarchs and hummingbirds.
  • Biggest threat: Shoreline development and a seed-eating invasive weevil, Larinus planus.
  • Why Beaver Island matters: It’s one of the few places with no reports of weevil damage, offering a refuge for healthy populations.
  • Kalamazoo College connection: Professor of Biology Binney Girdler and her students have studied the species for years, contributing to its conservation.

K Welcomes New Faculty for 2025

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Kalamazoo College is pleased to welcome the following faculty members to campus this fall: 

Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Bonnie Ebendick

Ebendick arrived at K after earning her Ph.D. in biological sciences in August from Western Michigan University (WMU). She previously earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology/biotechnology, with a specialization in microbiology, from Michigan State University.

Before attending WMU, Ebendick worked as a research scientist at Michigan State, the University of Toledo and Iontox, LLC, beginning in 1999. Her teaching experience includes positions as a lecture teaching assistant and recitation teaching assistant at both Michigan State and WMU.

Visiting Assistant Professor Bonnie Ebendick
Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Bonnie Ebendick joins the Kalamazoo College faculty.

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Kevin Fitton

Fitton recently earned his Ph.D. in English creative writing from WMU. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hope College, a master’s degree in New Testament from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Master of Fine Arts from Bennington College.

Before arriving at K, he taught first-year writing, children’s literature and creative writing workshops as a graduate assistant at WMU; courses in creativity and literature at Grand Valley State University; and academic writing at Olivet University.

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Kevin Fitton
Visiting Assistant Professor of English Kevin Fitton joins the Kalamazoo College faculty.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry
and Biochemistry Andrew Jensen 

Jensen arrived at K from the University of Michigan, where he was a postdoctoral researcher, a mentor for graduate and undergraduate researchers, and a guest lecturer for courses in chemical analysis, physical properties of analysis, environmental chemistry and mass spectrometry. He previously served as a graduate research assistant at the University of Colorado, Boulder and an undergraduate research assistant at Davidson College in North Carolina. 

Jensen earned a Ph.D. in analytical, environmental and atmospheric chemistry at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Davidson College. 

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Andrew Jensen
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Andrew Jensen joins the Kalamazoo College faculty.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business Matthew Schultz 

Schultz has prior teaching experience at Kellogg Community College, where he was an adjunct instructor for business courses specializing in economics; Lakeview School District, Climax-Scotts Community Schools and Battle Creek Central High School, where he taught marketing, accounting, entrepreneurship, business law, finance, business management, career preparation and computer science; and with the MiSTEM Network/Code.org, where he facilitated teacher training for the AP Computer Science Principles curriculum. 

Schultz received a Ph.D. in education from Indiana Wesleyan University, a master’s degree in career and technical education from WMU, and both a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Cornerstone University. 

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business Matthew Schultz, new faculty, 2025
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics and Business Matthew Schultz joins the Kalamazoo College faculty.

Assistant Professor of Spanish Language and Literature Brayan Serratos García

Serratos García recently earned a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature from Vanderbilt University, where he also completed a master’s degree in the same field. He holds a bachelor’s degree in World Languages and Cultures with an emphasis in Spanish from Iowa State University. His research explores transoceanic connections among Europe, Asia, and the Americas during the Early Modern period, with particular emphasis on the contributions of Indigenous and local knowledge-producers.

Serratos García has held teaching positions as instructor, adjunct faculty, teaching assistant, and course coordinator at Vanderbilt University and Fisk University, as well as a teaching appointment at Beijing Normal University. He has taught a wide range of courses from introductory language classes to advanced seminars on Spanish and Portuguese literature and culture. In addition to Spanish and Portuguese, he speaks Chinese and Italian and has lived, studied, and conducted research across Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Assistant Professor of Spanish Language and Literature Brayan Serratos García, new faculty 2025
Assistant Professor of Spanish Language and Literature Brayan Serratos García

Bee-lieve it: Rare Find Excites K Faculty Member, Alumnus

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A recent discovery is absolutely the bee’s knees for Kalamazoo College Assistant Professor of Biology Clara Stuligross. 

Stuligross is a bee ecologist who studies how the insects respond to environmental stressors such as climate change and pesticides. Her research combines field work, lab experiments and collaboration with students to understand how such pressures affect bees. 

“I love studying bees because they are charismatic, incredibly diverse in their biology, and also are essential for ecosystems because of their role as pollinators,” she said. 

So, when alumnus Nathan Rank ’83 brought her what he believed to be a recently deceased rusty-patched bumble bee, she was excited. The species hadn’t been officially documented in Michigan since 1999, when the insects were last found in Washtenaw County. Together, Stuligross and Rank—a professor of entomology and ecology at Sonoma State University in California—examined the specimen he found in a local driveway while visiting relatives. 

Rusty-patched bumble bees are identifiable through distinctive rusty-orange-colored patches on the abdomen of workers and males, which also have a black head and a mostly yellow thorax with a black band between their wings. Through high-resolution photography, Stuligross and Rank agreed on Rank’s original conclusion, confirming the species. 

“Finding a rusty-patched bumble bee in Kalamazoo is incredibly exciting because it was listed as a federally endangered species in 2017 and it hasn’t been documented in Michigan for over 25 years,” Stuligross said. “As someone invested in pollinator conservation, this finding is a hopeful sign that more may be out there, which would be exciting news for the future of the species.” 

Rusty-patched bumble bees are exceptional pollinators, especially for wildflowers and Michigan crops such as blueberries and cranberries. Pollinator insects in general are ecologically important because they move pollen from the male parts of plants and flowers to the female parts, allowing for seed production. Bumble bees of all types are especially important to agriculture because of their unique buzz pollination technique, which is required to pollinate certain plants such as tomatoes and cranberries. They are also more active in cold weather than other bee species, making them particularly valuable in Michigan for pollinating early spring plants. 

Ongoing surveys in the area now are looking for more rusty-patched bumble bees, but so far, only the one individual has been found. 

“The rusty-patched bumble bee used to be common in Michigan, but it has been lost from about 90% of its historic range,” Stuligross said. “That’s why this sighting is so exciting and a reminder that conservation efforts are so important to protect our biodiversity. We will keep looking in hopes of finding additional bees or even a colony, and we will be watching closely again next spring when new colonies appear. Community members can play a role by planting native flowers, reducing pesticide use and keeping an eye out for these bees in their gardens and on flowers in the area.” 

Community members can further help by spending time in nature to observe native bees while taking photos and uploading images to the iNaturalist app or Bumble Bee Watch website. Rusty-patched bumble bees typically are found in prairies, woodlands, marshes and agricultural areas. They feed on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, including asters, goldenrods and bee balms. 

“This discovery reinforces how important it is to learn about and conserve the biology in our own backyards,” Stuligross said. “The bee was found in someone’s driveway, and it was discovered because someone was curious and wanted to learn more. For students studying biology, it is essential to see concrete examples of conservation successes, like the finding of this endangered bee, as encouragement to continue the work that we do. It’s also a reminder that science is not something that happens far away. It’s something that happens right here in our own backyards and everyone can be a part of it. Finding this bee is also a reminder to students and the broader community that conservation work is essential. We are always working to conserve habitat and provide resources for wild pollinators to thrive.” 

Rusty-patched bumble bee magnified
Kalamazoo College Assistant Professor of Biology Clara Stuligross and alumnus Nathan Rank magnified a recently deceased bumble bee to confirm that the insect Rank found in a local driveway is a rusty-patched bumble bee.
Rusty-patched bumble bee magnified
Finding a rusty-patched bumble bee is significant because the insect hasn’t been documented in Michigan since 1999.
Rusty-patched bumble bee magnified
Community members can help scientists look for more rusty-patched bumble bees like this one by taking pictures of native bees and sharing them through the iNaturalist app or the Bumble Bee Watch website.

Hive Five! K Student Wins Bee Hotel Contest in Spain

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What began as a year on study abroad at the Universidad de Extremadura in Cáceres‎, Spain, ended in an international triumph for Annaliese Bol ’26, a Heyl scholar from Kalamazoo College.  

Bol, a biology and Spanish double major, blueprinted a bee hotel—a small structure designed to provide nesting, shelter and a safe space to lay eggs for solitary pollinators—and entered it into the Insectopia Festival held from June 2–6 in Jarandilla de la Vera, Spain. The event included a contest among representatives of eight universities across Europe to see who could diagram the best insect hideaway while contributing something educational to humans and helpful to local pollinator health and biodiversity.  

The design for Bol’s hotel featured a honeycomb pattern with a QR code that could lead interested passersby to the Insectopia website to learn more about the organization and how it supports pollinators.  

“Trying to implement large-scale change to support bees is very difficult,” Bol said. “My project’s goal was to lead people to little solutions that hopefully would compound into something bigger.”  

The only problem was that she was returning to the U.S. on June 5, while the festival was still ongoing. However, with some community engagement support from a professor and a master’s student, Bol and her team won the contest.  

“I was shocked, honestly,” she said. “I was traveling when my teammates called and asked, ‘Have you checked your email? We won!’”  

Bol’s reward is that Insectopia is now building her design, which measures about 18 inches high by 18 inches wide. It includes paper straw and wood blocks that will be important to pollinators in Spain because of its arid climate, especially with a lack of tall trees where pollinators normally can nest. The fact that the bee hotel directs others to the Insectopia website is important, too, as judges required entrants to include a plan for activating the community.  

“I like insects, but the artistic part of the project appealed to me because I don’t get to think creatively every day with my studies,” Bol said. “I also liked doing the research to figure out the best materials, and it was educational.”  

Bee hotel contest winner Annaliese Bol at the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain
Heyl scholar Annaliese Bol ’26 spent the 2024-25 academic year studying abroad in Spain. During that time, she competed with representatives of eight universities from across Europe to see who could diagram the best bee hotel to support pollinators and educate the public about bees. On her way back to the U.S., she found out she won the contest.

While abroad, Bol began working on an intercultural research project in which she developed a composting program at the Universidad de Extremadura to decrease waste. Simultaneously, she created a community garden that local teachers could use as a tool for their classrooms.  

At that time, some of her contacts, including a professor, mentioned the Insectopia contest, although Bol initially didn’t give it another thought. An Insectopia director later asked Bol what she would be doing this summer upon returning to the U.S. Her response: Working with Clara Stuligross, assistant professor of biology, on bee research for her Senior Integrated Project.  

“He said that Insectopia is all about bees, so I should be involved in it,” Bol said. “I said, ‘OK, cool,’ and they set me up. They gave me all the information and told me the goal was to design an environmentally friendly, but also educational, bee hotel.”  

As she reflects on her experience, Bol affirms the idea that study abroad widens one’s perspective and changes how students think about themselves and other cultures.  

“It was interesting and fun,” Bol said. “I made a lot of friends among Spanish students and other Europeans as well. It also made me appreciate my home here, too, in certain ways. I feel that in the United States, we have a perception of Europe being a much more advanced place to live. Maybe it was just because I was in a small Spanish town in the countryside, but it made me appreciate how we address problems here. Maybe it’s just from me attending K, but I feel like we’re always asking, ‘Why is something that way?’”  

At K, Bol is a cross country runner and a Crochet Club participant. This fall, she would like to form a K chapter of Women in Wildlife, a student organization consisting of women and non-binary people who want to work in wildlife-associated fields. Bol’s varied interests and commitment to community building have served her well both at home and abroad. Her time in Spain highlighted K’s distinctive approach to study abroad, with programs designed to foster that same kind of meaningful engagement she values on campus.  

“I met other American students while I was in Cáceres‎ and traveling around Europe,” Bol said. “When we talked about shared experiences, I asked what they did in their free time, and they didn’t have a lot to say. But K, especially in this program in Spain, makes it a goal to get you ingrained in the community. We could say we were tutoring kids or working on our volunteering projects. That really made my experience special.”  

Alumna Equips the Fight Against Parkinson’s

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A Kalamazoo College alumna is among the people playing important roles in the fight against Parkinson’s disease (PD) at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), headquartered in New York City. 

The foundation, which launched in 2000, says it’s dedicated to finding a cure for PD—a progressive chronic neurological movement disorder—through an aggressive research agenda that also ensures the development of improved therapies for those living with the disease today. As the organization’s director of research resources, Nicole Polinski, Ph.D. ’12 ensures that industry and academic researchers have access to the biology tools—called reagents—and preclinical models that they need for performing biology and chemistry experiments.

High-quality research tools are vital for successful, reproducible science. MJFF’s Research Tools Program team, including Polinkski, works with the research community to understand the gaps in the research tool space, develop and distribute reagents and models to fill these gaps, and better understand the characteristics of available research tools.

“I think my biggest challenge is to make sure that our limited resources have the biggest impact possible,” Polinski said. “It’s trying to identify what we need as we get suggestions for where we should focus our laboratory-tool development. It’s trying to connect the dots between different things you’re hearing from different folks to make sure that we prioritize and select the programs that have the potential to impact a lot of labs. Figuring out what to prioritize and who to work with on those programs.” 

The early signs of Parkinson’s disease include tremors, often in the hands or fingers; a loss of smell; trouble moving or walking, including stiffness and balance problems; constipation; a reduction of facial expressions; dizziness or fainting; sleeping problems and stooping or hunching over. Polinski said Parkinson’s is diagnosed through such traditional motor systems, but until recently, it’s pathology could only be confirmed at autopsy. As a result, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis is still all too common. 

“The two pathological hallmarks that are confirmed in an autopsy are in the brain,” Polinski said. “One is the presence of a protein that’s normally in the brain, but it starts to clump abnormally with Parkinson’s. It’s the presence of those clumps and then the loss of a specific brain system, which consists of a circuit that deals with movement.” 

Research, though, through MJFF and its partners, is beginning to provide more methods for diagnosis as well as treatment. 

Parkinson's Researcher Nicole Polinski
Nicole Polinski ’12

National Parkinson’s Awareness Month 

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Organizations such as The Michael J. Fox Foundation, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the American Parkinson Disease Association host events and campaigns, provide resources for people living with Parkinson’s, and support research efforts in the fight against the ailment, which afflicts more than 10 million people worldwide including about 1 million in the U.S.

In 2023, an international coalition of scientists led by MJFF discovered a Parkinson’s biomarker—a tool that can detect the earliest biological signs of the disease in living people.

“We need better ways to diagnose it, and I think we’re making good headway,” Polinski said. “There’s now a test with cerebrospinal fluid that can detect those clumps. It’s still not perfect. A lumbar puncture to collect the fluid is not easy. Hopefully, we might be able to use saliva and blood or other bodily fluids that require less invasive procedures in the future.” 

Michael J. Fox is widely known as an actor for his role as Alex P. Keaton on the 1980s situation comedy Family Ties. He later became a movie star with roles in Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, The Secret of My Success and Casualties of War. In 1991, Fox developed a tremor in his pinky finger. He consulted a neurologist and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at just 29 years old. Still, he found a way to channel that life-changing news into a way to help others. 

“I’ve met Michael a number of times and he came to our all-staff meeting earlier this year for a fireside chat,” Polinski said. “He talked about his experience and where he’s at now. You know how he feels about the work and all that the foundation he established has accomplished. It’s always great to see him. He’s as nice as he is portrayed.” 

In her early years at K, Polinski knew she wanted to major in biology, but no one in her family had a science background, and her exposure to the medical field was primarily through medical doctors. She assumed she would also go to medical school and become a physician herself until she started her Senior Integrated Project (SIP).  

“I ended up doing a summer internship at a spinal cord injury lab at The Ohio State University and I really liked being in the lab,” Polinski said. “After that, I started looking more into graduate schools and went on to get a Ph.D. in neuroscience.” 

Shortly after graduate school at Michigan State University, she began working for The Michael J. Fox Foundation as a research program officer, advancing to associate director and senior associate director before earning her current position. It’s a role she relishes, knowing her work contributes to an important fight. 

“We’re well on our way to improving ways to diagnose Parkinson’s disease with some recent breakthroughs, and we have more diverse therapeutic strategies in testing than ever before,” Polinski said. “On top of that, we’re identifying new pathways to tackle Parkinson’s disease by looking at patient bio samples to better understand the disease at a basic biological level. I’ve been here almost nine years, and no two days ever look the same. It’s a field that is ever evolving, and even within my laboratory tools space, new technologies and targets are popping up that need support with new players in the field. It’s something that’s always changing, and I really enjoy that challenging feature of this work. I never get bored, and I love my job.”