Research Symposium presents new challenge for future science communications specialist

From the time she turned 13, Purdue University Fort Wayne senior Allison Velie has served as a nanny. She currently works with the offspring of three families—seven girls in all—who benefit from her knowledge as a biology major.

“When you have an inquisitive 7-year-old who asks why this food is healthy and this food is not,” Velie said, “I explain the microbiome and tell her how this food helps us because it feeds the good bacteria. [I focus on] different age levels and ranges of understanding to break it down.”

It’s good training as Velie is considering a career as a science communications specialist, breaking down complex studies and research so others can understand, making her own work and that of others relatable. She’s loved science since the fifth grade, loves research and learning, and has a passion for sharing comprehension.

That’s a big reason why she will present three posters at Friday’s 27th annual Student Research and Creative Endeavors Symposium, which is held all day on the skybridge between Helmke Library and Walb Student Union. There are graduate and undergraduate categories, as well as Deans Choice awards from each college.

There are 126 students delivering 91 presentations this year, up from 96 and 60 last year.

Velie submitted one entry last year, but could be the event’s “poster child” this time around with three. Though she has a sense of humor, that amount of work will pose as a serious challenge for Velie who said getting one poster in the symposium was an accomplishment by itself.  

“I want the opportunity for it,” Velie said. “I have to strengthen my skills to communicate it somehow.”

While also working with others on these projects, one of Velie’s posters will be about PTSD mechanisms in the mouse model; the second is a continuation of last year’s project on how genetic background affects obesity in the fruit fly, and what humans can learn from it; and the third looks at how grief might be portrayed in a video game.

She’s used to big tests and demands. By the end of her freshman year, Velie had nearly completed the Honors Program requirements. She also pushed herself to find learning opportunities off campus and was one of 30 students selected from 550 applicants to spend 10 weeks at the Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program in Maine.

“She actually approached me about research as a freshman—most wait until junior or senior year,” said Becky Palu, assistant professor of biology. “She was already considering her options for a career in science and even had begun to explore alternative research experiences to take on outside of the school year. She did the research into these herself and applied to several programs with only minimal guidance from me.”

Even with plans to graduate a semester early in December, Velie is open to new possibilities for graduate study. She recently signed up for a summer course on learning to read and write scientific papers, and wonders if she might head in that direction. During her time in Maine, she kept asking employees how they achieved their positions.

“That was my first time being around people who thought like me and had the background I did, so I was able to say something and that wasn’t just surface-level. And they’d ask more questions,” Velie said. “I was really like, `Wow, I found my people and this is really who I want to be around.’ I was so happy.”

Velie said she loved the interaction with co-workers but did not love the monotony of constant laboratory work. That personality trait started at an early age. She’s always loved talking to people so much that she took part in every fundraising sales opportunity in middle and high school.

“People used to tell me I had really good eye contact and those kinds of things,” Velie said. “I’m not just persuasive, you need to know how to put things together in the right order for people to understand and agree. I’ve always loved sales and talking to people, the interpersonal connection, and then mix that in with my love of science and my love of learning,”

But how will she know when she’s done? That’s the point. She wants a career that pays her to continue learning.

“I don’t want to be done,” Velie said.