Junior Biology Major Continues to Conduct Undergraduate Research During Her Semester Abroad
International student Fuka Aizawa ’26 has worked in two different labs at Muhlenberg and is now taking part in a research assistantship in Copenhagen, Denmark.By: Samantha Tempkin ’25 Tuesday, November 19, 2024 11:10 AM
Fuka Aizawa ’26 on a trip to Switzerland during her semester abroad studying in Copenhagen, DenmarkFuka Aizawa ’26 spent the past two summers conducting research with Professors of Biology Marten Edwards and Elizabeth McCain (whom she also worked with this spring). Her essay summarizing her research — on Anaplasma strains in Pennsylvania ticks with Edwards and the effect of the chemical bisphenol A on growth in sea animals with McCain —was so compelling to officials with the study abroad organization DIS Copenhagen that Aizawa earned a position in its research assistantship program. The opportunity to combine travel to Copenhagen with continued research was appealing.
The goal of Aizawa’s research assistantship is to help create a pest control model rooted in the use of insects as biological pesticides. “We can apply the knowledge into the actual environment and see, ‘okay, this is what I know in the textbook, but this is what I didn’t know in the textbook,’” says Aizawa.
Learning how to critically analyze scientific papers as well as how to refine her own writing within her research at Muhlenberg has prepared Aizawa for her responsibilities in Copenhagen. She says, “If I hadn’t done those things over the summer, I think I couldn’t do that, so it obviously helped me a lot.”
Aizawa on a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland
Aizawa brings to her semester in Copenhagen the knowledge she gained from coming to Muhlenberg as an international student from Saitama, Japan, on how to live independently and how to make friends in a new environment. Having this additional abroad experience has also expanded Aizawa’s cultural awareness. She says, “I can observe the U.S and my hometown at the same time from a different perspective, and I can compare how similar and how different these two countries are to Denmark.”
Continuing to pursue a multifaceted education in this abroad program has already influenced Aizawa’s thoughts about her future. In addition, studying pharmacology as part of her Philosophy of Mental Health course has shown Aizawa how she can combine her love of biology with her interests in the humanities.
Aizawa visits Mürren, Switzerland
