Developing a Love of Scientific Research Was Key to Success for Renee Owen `23

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During her time as an undergraduate Renee Owen, a 2023 graduate from Commonwealth Honors College, studied both biology and German – and felt that this interdisciplinary approach was the perfect pairing that ultimately allowed her to continue her research abroad in Leipzig, Germany. 

Renee feels that being in the college played a huge role in developing her love of scientific research. 

“I started off kind of not really knowing what I wanted to do or what communities I wanted to join around campus. And then I applied for a research position my junior year, and I won an award…I really think that my being in the Honors College and getting skills from my smaller classes definitely helped me get that award,” she said.

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Renee’s thesis was about PFAS, which is a group of environmentally persistent chemicals. She and her research partner, Claire, studied these chemicals in zebrafish and looked at how it affects pancreas development. Upon completion of her thesis project, Renee presented her findings at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference (MassURC) and still continues to work with zebrafish in Germany.

“I presented that work at MassURC... and I feel like that was my first time really getting to present my work and having to communicate scientifically to a lot of people, which I think helped me get set up for the future,” she explained.

Renee had been taking German classes since high school and was excited to continue her studies in college. 

“At UMass, there's this specific program that connects STEM and science fields to learning German. It's called iSTEP, and you can get your German studies degree with less credits, but you can also take STEM-related classes in German. And that's what I did.”

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Because of Renee’s choice to do an interdisciplinary program at UMass, she was able to seamlessly transition her studies to Germany. She spoke about how without the connections she made within the German program and having passed the language requirement, she would not be where she is today. She also noted that frequently people were skeptical of why she chose to study two seemingly unrelated majors. If she had one piece of advice it would be to, “Keep an open mind, and do what you like to do, because I always had people questioning why I was doing German studies, and now I'm studying in Germany and I am able to do that because of my experience being interdisciplinary in school.” 

Abroad in Germany

Renee is doing her graduate studies in Germany thanks to a Fulbright Fellowship she obtained by working with the Office of National Scholarship Advising (ONSA) at UMass. The fellowship has made it possible for her to work on two projects in a research lab, one of which she found out about while she was still at UMass. The first project once again studies how PFAS interacts with the GABA receptor to induce hyperactive movement by looking at larval zebrafish. Her second project is in collaboration with a European chemical safety regulation organization called PARC, and here she looks at how PFAS mixtures affect neurodevelopment. 

All of Renee’s undergraduate research has been tied together with her research abroad. She mentioned that her principal investigator while at UMass, Rolf Karlstrom, is a developmental neuroscientist – and the lab work she completed with him focused on signaling pathways in zebrafish. 

Now at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, Renee is studying PFAS compounds in zebrafish and looking at how they affect neurodevelopment. 

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Aside from her academic focus while abroad, Renee said that moving away has opened her mind to different cultural experiences. Growing up just an hour away from UMass, Renee had never lived anywhere else. Living and learning in Germany has allowed her the opportunity to meet new people with new perspectives, further her career in a way she never imagined, and network within the field of science. 

Reflecting on Renee’s time at UMass

While reminiscing about her time at UMass, Renee remembered one of her favorite memories from her time as an undergraduate. One summer while she was living in Amherst, she and her research partner, Claire, were able to mentor three high school students through a program that their lab sponsored. 

“That experience was just super memorable to me because I was able to pass on my knowledge to these high school students who came in without really knowing anything about biology. And then, me and Claire were able to teach them so much, and they evolved so much over two months,” she explained. 

“And so I feel like getting to spread that love of science was really cool. And being the mentor when I'm usually the mentee was really nice for me. So I think that was a really formative experience for me, one that I still think about,” she added.

Renee gave all of her thanks to her mentors at UMass, Rolf Karlstrom and Alicia Timme-Laragy. She worked under both of them for her lab collaborations, and said that they impacted her love for science and desire to continue research into the future. 

“They really fostered my love of toxicology, and also looking at things from multiple perspectives, since one of them is a toxicologist and one of them is a developmental biologist. I got a lot of different perspectives and input on my work, and they gave me a second home on campus.” 

Renee Owen's academic journey through Commonwealth Honors College at UMass and her subsequent experiences in Germany illustrate the profound impact of interdisciplinary education, research opportunities, language proficiency, and mentorship. By embracing diverse academic interests, seizing research opportunities, and cultivating meaningful connections within academic communities, Renee has found success. 

If you are looking to study abroad and would like more information on national scholarships and how to apply, please check out the Office of National Scholarship Advisement (ONSA) website.