蜜桃传媒

This weekend, Grace Hafner will graduate summa cum laude from the College of Arts and Sciences, an accomplishment that has earned her a full ride to pursue her graduate degree. A varied research experience and strong interactions with faculty during her undergraduate career have set her on a path toward a future advocating for a more eco-friendly and healthy world.

Growing up in Hamburg, N.Y., Hafner was always adventuring with her family. From camping to creek walking to playing in the family’s big yard with her four siblings, they were always exploring. With her father being a chemistry teacher, and her mother a nurse, there was always a fascination of the sciences in her family of seven.

Upon graduating high school, Hafner knew she really cared about the planet and had a strong love for animals. Following her passion, she enrolled in the Environmental Geosciences program in the college’s Department of Environment and Sustainability (EVS).

During her sophomore year, Hafner took a natural hazards course with Nick DiFrancesco, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Earth Sciences (formerly the Department of Geology). “On the first day of classes, Dr. DiFrancesco mentioned that he studies rocks left by glaciers and is always looking for students to help out with his research,” says Hafner. “I jumped at the opportunity, since I am interested in glaciology — especially around the Western New York area, since I was born and raised here.”

What Hafner didn’t know is that the glacial rocks DiFrancesco worked with had a whole story of their own. The rocks, found after countless hours of searching by Travis Nelson, instructional support technician in the Department of Earth Sciences, have a fluorescent glow that is only visible in the dark using a UV flashlight.

DiFrancesco, Hafner and Nelson worked together to investigate the mineralogy and composition of the fluorescent features of the rock. Hafner worked hard to create thin sections of the rocks so the team could examine them closely using electron microscopy, polarized light microscopy and optical microscopy. The team analyzed the samples of these fluorescent rocks and compared them to Yooperlites, rocks primarily found in Michigan that also glow under UV light, looking for fluorescent sodalite.

“I have learned a lot of practical laboratory skills from Dr. DiFrancesco and Travis Nelson,” says Hafner. “Having hands-on experience in my course of study has been incredibly helpful with grasping some of the complex concepts we only get to hear about in lectures.”

Through this project, she also had the opportunity to collaborate with Peter Bush, director of the South Campus Instrument Center in the School of Dental Medicine, when the team utilized the center’s equipment to further analyze the rocks. “Peter is probably one of the coolest people I have ever met, and I cannot believe I got the opportunity to work with him,” says Hafner.

Hafner continued to make the most of her faculty encounters during her time at UB, making great connections with Nick Henshue, teaching associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Environment and Sustainability, as well as Heather Williams, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

“Dr. Henshue is amazing. I adore his classes. He asked me to be a teaching assistant for one of his classes and that’s where I realized I really loved teaching,” says Hafner. “Dr. Williams is also an amazing person. She is super passionate about what she does, is invested in her work and is excited to talk about it.”

Henshue, Hafner’s academic adviser within EVS, has high praise for her efforts. “Grace is an outstanding example of what happens when students are curious and willing to get their hands dirty,” he says. “Her natural curiosity and wonderful sense of humor are going to serve her well the rest of her life.”

Embracing her faculty connections led her to a research opportunity she found through the Experiential Learning Network on a geospatial modeling project with Rasha Siddig Azrag Ahmed, a visiting professor in the Department of Biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Hafner took previously captured datasets from Khartoum, Sudan, and studied a variety of climate variables to make a predicted habitat suitability map for Culex quinquefasciatus, a species of mosquitos. The now-mapped datasets show where the most at-risk places for the species are — mostly along the Nile River — which is helping the people of Sudan determine the best mitigation plans for public health measures.

Hafner continued expanding her research experience throughout her undergraduate career. During a senior capstone course taught by Isabel Porto-Hannes, teaching assistant professor in EVS, Hafner worked with fellow student Caitlyn Roesch to measure light pollution related to the construction of the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in Genesee County and its impact on the bat populations nearby. The research found there was an extremely large increase in light pollution that negatively impacts the bats, which are nocturnal animals. The light will decrease their foraging habits, forcing increased competition among light-tolerant and light-intolerant bats.

The students presented the results of their research to members of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the Tonawanda Seneca National Allies last December. In addition to the students’ findings, the presentation covered additional topics like water temperatures and the impact of noise pollution on birds. The findings helped inform the groups of the dangers surrounding their lands due to the STAMP project and equipped them with information they can use to help advocate for their community’s health and protection of the lands.

“I would definitely say doing research has enriched my undergrad experience; not only have I been able to get hands-on experience with research about things I actually care about, but I have also been able to meet a lot of like-minded people and have networked with fabulous professionals in the field,” says Hafner.

Hafner will continue her education at Minnesota State 蜜桃传媒, where she will pursue a master’s degree in disease ecology. She plans to use her degrees to go into the workforce while traveling to outbreak zones, tracking diseases in humans transmitted by animals. Her ultimate goal is to return to higher education and bring the same energy and enthusiasm to students that so many of her UB professors brought to her.