Honors to Fulbright: Skye McMorris's Inspiring Path to Combating Alzheimer's Disease

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Skye McMorris doing research in the lab.

This past week I interviewed Skye McMorris, a recent Commonwealth Honors College graduate and Fulbright Scholar, to discuss her time abroad and the ways in which the Honors College prepared her for life after college. Skye graduated with a BS in biochemistry and molecular biology, and when we met up on Zoom, she was enjoying a bright sunny day in Antwerp, Belgium, the location of her research into neuroinflammation at the Mancuso Laboratory. 

How did the Honors College shape your experience at UMass, and what role has it played in your professional journey? 

My time at UMass would have been completely different without the Honors College. Right from the start, I was part of the BioTAP program, where I lived and studied with other Honors students. People from that community became some of my closest friends and some of them stayed with me throughout my entire college career. I also connected with my biology professor through that program and later became her TA. That was one of my favorite things that I did during my time at UMass, and it was so instrumental in helping me to build confidence in being able to teach STEM, because I knew that I wanted to continue with research as a career. So much of being in research is being a mentor and a teacher to others, especially if you stay with it and go on to become a professor. 

The Honors College also opened doors that I otherwise didn’t know existed, so that I could pursue other opportunities abroad, like a Fulbright fellowship. Applying for a Fulbright was a goal of mine since my freshman year, after I first learned about the program from professor Madalina Akli, the head of ISP and ONSA (Office of National Scholarship Advising). I knew that Fulbright aligned perfectly with my goals for scientific research and engaging in global collaboration. 

The work that we do in ISP to build skills in cross-cultural interactions and engage in auto-ethnographic reflection was a launchpad for my Fulbright application after my exchange. Madalina was a great help in outlining the application process and giving invaluable feedback. I can’t express enough how much Fulbright has contributed to my personal and professional growth, which wouldn’t have been possible without the foundational support from Madalina and the CHC. 

You’ve been deeply involved in mentoring and outreach. What inspired that work? 

I got into science not because anyone in my family was a scientist or was in medicine at all. The people who inspired me were my teachers and mentors, even the TAs I had my first year at UMass. I always looked up to those people and wanted to be able in some way to give back. I love explaining concepts to students, and watching as they grow and develop a passion for the studies that they're doing. So, yeah, I really felt compelled to kind of give back and just be there for somebody when they need someone to lean on a bit. 

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McMorris with fellow Fulbrighters and then-Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo at a reception at the U.S. embassy in Belgium.

You’re currently researching neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. What drew you to that field? 

I've always held a long-term interest in neurodegenerative diseases, specifically with memory loss. Dementia is something that has impacted my family, so I definitely have a personal connection to it. Then when I was in Amsterdam, I took a class called Molecular Principles of Brain Disorders, which really hooked me in even further to wanting to pursue Alzheimer's or neurodegenerative diseases as a career path in research. 

And now that I'm in Antwerp, I'm working at the VIB, which is the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology. We want to understand how the brain's immune system interacts with the nervous system and spreads neuroinflammatory signals during the onset of the disease. And it's been a wonderful, wonderful experience and really cemented for me that this is the area I want to continue into for my career. 

How did your undergraduate research, like your Honors Thesis or Mayo Clinic internship, prepare you for your current work? 

Both of those experiences were incredibly helpful in very different ways. For my UMass Honors Thesis, I was in a lab for about three years. For my internship at the Mayo Clinic, I was only there for one summer, but each of them helped me build resilience in being in research, because there's never a day in the lab where everything goes perfectly. 

I think building up that ability to face failure constantly and still at the end of the day like what I was doing was important for me to understand that this was where I wanted to be. The thesis also gave me a lot of independence. I learned how to drive a project on my own, which is exactly what I need now as I prepare for grad school. It gave me confidence, despite all the imposter syndrome that comes with it. 

Was there a defining moment for you during your time abroad? 

It wasn’t one moment, but more the entire experience of living in Amsterdam. I was surrounded by people from so many countries. You start to understand your own place in the world through that. There’s a kind of cultural humility that comes with realizing how much more there is to learn. Also, as an American abroad, you quickly realize how much the world knows about the U.S., our media, politics, everything. That dynamic isn’t always mutual. So it became important to me to share, but also to listen and learn deeply from others. 

What advice would you give to students considering UMass or the Honors College? 

Absolutely go for it! It is such a wonderful community and you will get so much out of it. And a thesis may seem daunting, but it's also incredibly rewarding at the end to have completed something that is really challenging but is an culmination of all of your hard work and effort. 

Just continue trying new things, be open to new opportunities and be open to new people. I think that studying abroad is one of the best things that you can do while you're in college because you really have to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and trying new things. 

Any final thoughts you’d like to leave with prospective students? 

Apply for ISP! It really sits you down and forces you to think about that in a really helpful way when you meet people from other countries and get into these really amazing and fascinating conversations about how their background has influenced their upbringing. It’s a great way to reflect on all of those things and reflect on our place in this world.