By JONATHAN WEAVER, The Exponent Telegram
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (AP) — As he begins his freshman year at West Virginia University, Bridgeport native Easton Cahill was prepared for his first semester by engaging in university research.
In July, Cahill was one of 15 students who were part of the Summer Immersion Experience with support from the First2 Network, with the program offering internships specifically for first-generation and underrepresented first-year students from rural areas.
Cahill compared water quality findings from streams, such as a West Run Watershed stream. Each day of the two-week experience included a trip to a site, with lessons in estimation of streamflow before lab work as part of Land Use Impacts on Water Quality with Jason Hubbart, professor and director of the Institute of Water Security and Science in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, and Kaylyn Gootman, a post-doctoral research associate.
“It is difficult to be the first in your family to go to college because you don’t have the step up that some might have, but working with First2 really gave me that introduction,” Cahill said. He has already met science, technology, engineering or math students from Charleston, Weirton and other parts of the state.
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Cahill, a biology major, also hopes the First2 Network helps him clarify his goals. He also enjoyed biology classes and going outdoors at Bridgeport High School.
Jordan Means, a junior at WVU majoring in immunology and medical microbiology from Elkview, started her college career with the Summer Immersion Experience in 2019 soon after graduating from Capital High School.
“I was a first-generation college student, and I had no clue what college was like. I was super-scared about coming to college, but after First2, I felt like I had a support system around me to get me through college that’s aided and made me successful today,” said Means, one of four student mentors. “Now that I’ve figured it out, I want to make sure that I bring the ladder down to other students to help them along the process.
“I think (this summer’s experience) went really well. We gave students the opportunity to see what it was like in different research labs and now they feel more connected with people around campus, too,” she said.
Means, who aspires to attend medical school, looked forward to seeing Cahill again in her research club meetings.
After Means aided in a fully virtual immersion experience in 2020 due to COVID-19, this year’s summer research projects involved hands-on instruction.
“You can read about something, but actually doing something is how I like to learn,” Gootman said. “They need to get their boots, get out in the field and collect the data that will tell that story.”
Other research projects include neuroscience studies with Sadie Bergeron from the Department of Biology, metal-catalyzed coupling reactions with Jessica Hoover from the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry and biometrics under Jeremy Dawson from the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
“To some students, the college environment is unfamiliar and scary. Giving them a chance to experience college life without being graded or assessed helps them overcome their fears and primes them for success from day one,” Michelle Richards-Babb, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, said.
“We expect that they will become familiar with the university environment, knowledgeable about its resources and comfortable speaking with faculty and staff. In addition, they will have built a cohort of like-minded students who are interested in STEM, are intent on succeeding in college and facilitate and celebrate each other’s successes.”
Cahill’s mother, Lisa Ross, was glad her son was accepted into the immersion experience. The self-employed photographer learned mainly online, as well as through shadowing those in Fairmont and Bridgeport.
Ross was originally enrolled at Fairmont State University but never attended due to her work schedules. She did attend trade schools to work in a dental office and as an orthodontic lab technician.
“I knew I wanted Easton to go to college since I didn’t get to. There were a lot of opportunities in life where I could have made more money if I had,” Ross said. “He probably doesn’t remember, but when Easton was little, I would tell him, ‘You’re going to go to school and be so smart.’
“He’s always been very studious and is very self-driven. Easton is very articulate, smart in biology and math and is a reader — we’re very proud of him.”
Cahill said he is already interested in applying to graduate programs after completing his undergraduate degree.
Cahill also has two elementary-age half siblings, and the family already hopes to visit Easton as often as possible.
The First2 Network, with funding from the National Science Foundation, started as a pilot project in 2016 to address STEM student success, since data at the time showed only about 30% of graduating high school students who declared STEM majors in college went on to graduate with STEM degrees.
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