Pirada Anderson
Investigating the Effects of Rising Temperatures on Sporocyst Production in Snails
B.S. Biological Sciences
Pirada is a Summer 2025 Student Project Award Recipient.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Don Larson, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology & Wildlife and an ecophysiologist, Pirada's project examines the effects of rising temperatures on Trichobilharzia alaskensis, a parasite that causes swimmer's itch.
The T.alaskensis parasite is a bird schistosome whose life cycle involves both snails and a ducks (Gordy et al., 2018). Parasite eggs are released from duck feces into freshwater, hatching into miracidia. The miracidia then infects a snail. The parasite reproduces asexually in the snail as a sporocyst, producing cercariae. The cercariae actively seek a duck to penetrate. The cercariae mature and produce eggs via sexual reproduction. The duck then defecates the eggs, and the cycle repeats (Soldánová et al., 2013). Cercariae can mistake a human for a duck and penetrate human skin. The cercariae die in the skin and trigger an allergic reaction. Reactions can be especially severe in children, even lasting several weeks (Źbikowska & Marszewska, 2018).
How is your project going so far this semester?
My project is going well this semester! My mentor and I collect local, freshwater snails each week. I bring the snails back to the lab and shed them to see what parasites they are infected with. We've seen an increase in the number of T. alaskensis-infected snails we've collected over the last couple of weeks, which is promising. The next steps are to begin my in vitro experiments, which will be an exciting part of the lab work. I have been enjoying my research this summer and the ability to continue my project through URSA. I find that working in research is a very rewarding experience.
How did you find out about URSA and what encouraged you to submit an application for funding?
I mainly heard about URSA through word of mouth while I was in high school. My sister and a couple of my friends in biology had participated in undergraduate research and recommended that I apply for the program. Undergraduate research programs were one of the reasons why I chose to attend UAF. Additionally, I frequently saw URSA tables at campus events, and the enthusiastic URSA staff encouraged me to submit a project proposal. After formulating a project idea with my mentor, he encouraged me to apply for URSA funding, allowing me to maximize my summer research experience. The strong encouragement from my mentor and the URSA staff pushed me to apply for the program.
How does your URSA project relate to your career or personal goals?
I plan to pursue an MD and work in healthcare after graduation. My URSA project examines the impacts of rising temperatures on swimmer's itch, a common human disease. This project is helping me understand the mechanisms of disease, which will enable me to be a more well-rounded medical professional. Throughout my undergraduate research experience, I have enhanced skills such as critical thinking, developing research questions and specific aims, and scientific writing. These skills will help me succeed in graduate school and complete my undergraduate coursework. On a personal level, working in research has helped me gain a great deal of self-confidence and discover some of my interests. I would never have known I was so passionate about parasitology if I hadn't taken the steps to work in research!
If you could share one piece of advice with students interested in pursuing URSA in the future, what would you say?
If I could share one piece of advice with students interested in working with URSA, it would be to take the leap. I know of so many students who have excellent project ideas or questions about the world but simply never take the step. In my experience, working in research involves more independence than a typical summer job, so it is up to you to be proactive in pursuing your project. Find a mentor, send the email, and build your support system. I would also [share that students need] to get comfortable with failure. Inevitably, research is accompanied by setbacks and technical difficulties. Learning to take those setbacks in stride is an important skill. Things will likely not go as expected, and that's okay.