Opportunities to Pursue a Wealth of Interests
Cathrine Shepard (C’15)
Graduate Student, University of Georgia
Thanks to the range of opportunities offered at Principia College, Cathrine Shepard combined chemistry, sustainability, scientific research, music, and travel to create a college experience all her own.
Sophomore year, Cathrine traveled through the coastal and Andes Mountain regions of Peru on a Principia abroad. During the marine science portion of the abroad, led by biology professor Dr. Scott Eckert, Cathrine collected data on sea turtles.
Then, for her individual research project on the abroad, Cathrine joined her homestay “father” at a conference on workers’ safety. Conducting interviews in Spanish, she spoke with government officials, attorneys, and business professionals who shared an inside view on labor rights in the clothing industry. “Spanish professor Cecily Lee was very supportive, giving me the confidence to pursue this unique opportunity,” Cathrine says.
Studying science year-round
Eager to extend her learning beyond the school year, Cathrine interned one summer at the NanoScience Technology Center at the University of Central Florida and another summer at Flowers Chemical Laboratories in Altamonte, Florida. Each internship included chemistry research and collaboration with scientists at that site. Then, the summer before her senior year, Cathrine worked at the Orlando Science Center, instructing elementary school-age children on topics ranging from robotics to ecology—a job that built on her experience as a teaching assistant in the College’s Chemistry Department.
For much of her senior year, Cathrine conducted capstone research for her BS in chemistry (with a minor in sustainability). She examined microplastics in river sediment at the confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, researching the ability of bacteria to degrade the plastic. In April, she presented her findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium of the St. Louis Section of the American Chemical Society and at Principia’s Mathematical and Natural Sciences Poster Gallery.
Adding Music to the Mix
A cello player since middle school, Cathrine wasn’t sure she’d be able to maintain this interest during college, but Music Department professors strongly encouraged her to continue. As a result, she played for the College musical in 2013, went on the Arts on Tour trip in 2014, and performed in numerous Music at Davis concerts over the years. “I’m not sure how continuing with music would have panned out at another college because most music programs are mainly focused on their majors,” Cathrine notes. “I’m very grateful it worked out at Prin because it added so much to my experience.”
Reflecting on her time at Principia, Cathrine adds, “I loved learning in Principia’s supportive atmosphere with the Christian Science foundation. I’ve felt the support of the faculty who could see my true potential. Knowing how they see me has taught me so much about how to view others.”
After graduation, Cathrine, who is pursuing a career in chemical oceanography, interned with the ocean acidification research group at Mote Marine Laboratory, a research institution committed to conservation and education. She is now a graduate student in the Marine Sciences Department at the University of Georgia, where she is working in a lab studying the biogeochemistry of oil spills and natural oil seeps.