Students explore newfound passion for parasites

OMAHA, Neb. – When most people think of biology, parasites—organisms that live in or on other living things and feed off them—are not something that comes to mind. But for Dr. Heather Stigge, (pictured above, middle) assistant professor of biology at College of Saint Mary (CSM), the subject is of great interest and relevance. That passion has also rubbed off on her students, as a handful of them recently attended national parasitology conferences in Oklahoma and Minnesota and are now looking for even more opportunities to explore this unique area of science.

“This was a wonderful learning opportunity for the students,” said Stigge, who serves as president of one of the associations, the Southwestern Association of Parasitologists (SWAP). “They can see themselves doing these things, this research, and figure out what speaks to them.”

In April, Stigge and two of her students, Montserrat Santos ’21 (pictured above, left) and Raeanne Whitcomb ’19, went to the University of Oklahoma Biological Station in Kingston, Okla., for the annual meeting of SWAP. While there, they got to listen to presentations about parasites and aspects of parasitology from undergraduate students, graduate students and doctors of parasitology.

“This was a great experience,” said Whitcomb, who graduated from CSM this May with her bachelor’s degree in biology. “I got to meet many students from around the Midwest who were studying the same thing I am. I also learned how much parasitology can aid in the study of other fields.” Whitcomb plans to pursue her Master in Health Sciences degree at CSM in the fall and then go on to pharmacy school.

Stigge also attended the annual conference of the American Society of Parasitologists (ASP) in July and took along Santos and Iris Munoz ’19. At the conference, which took place at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., students participated in a wet lab workshop centered around parasites that infect humans, heard parasitology-related presentations and even met a Nobel Laureate in Physiology and Medicine.

“I think parasitology is an important field to study,” said Santos, who is majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology. “There are tiny organisms that affect humans, and we wouldn’t even know about them unless we do research on them.”

For Santos, who hopes to attend graduate school after completing her bachelor’s, attending the conferences also helped her plan for her future studies and career. “My biggest takeaway came from the presentations that informed students about different fields in parasitology. Each scientist gave good advice that I can take into mind when I apply to graduate schools.”

The focus on parasites, however, was not contained to these two conferences. Since January, Stigge and some of her students have been doing their own research on parasites right here at College of Saint Mary. They collect samples of parasites that live in snails and arthropods from streams around Omaha and Lincoln, including Glacier Creek, and then dissect the parasites and do surveys on them in the labs.

Stigge is very proud of her students and all the effort they put in with these projects—which are purely for fun and not a requirement for a class. “This really helps them continue to build on their knowledge and experience with STEM. As a woman in the science field, I know that having that experience and confidence is important.”

Stigge herself received her doctorate in zoology and parasitology from Oklahoma State University. In addition to being the president of SWAP, she was selected to be an associate editor of The Journal of Parasitology, the journal for the ASP and one of the largest journals of parasitology, during the July conference.

All this learning about parasites won’t end here. Stigge intends to take students to the Rocky Mountain Conference of Parasitologists in September, and Santos already has plans to attend the ASP conference in Kansas City next year.

“This was my first year taking students to a conference, and I’ve come full circle,” explains Stigge. “As a freshman in college, I attended my first one. Seeing the students in that environment really meant a lot to me.”