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FOX STUDYING ABROAD IN COSTA RICA IN 2019 WITH OTHER FRESNO STATE STUDENTS
Sydney Fox has been named a Fulbright scholar with a research award to Iceland.
Sydney is a Biochemistry major in the College
of Science and Mathematics. A research team based in Reykjavik, Iceland recently identified microplastic particles in the Vatnajökull ice cap, the largest ice cap in Europe.
Microplastics have the potential to affect physical properties of the glacier that might increase melting of the cryosphere and contribute to rising sea levels. Sydney will prepare a systematic procedure for collecting and analyzing samples from the Vatnajökull ice cap. Preparation of
this procedure will create a system for filtering microscale samples, utilizing optical and μ-Raman spectroscopy to visualize and identify various sources of microplastic particles.
The work will further contribute to the limited knowledge on microplastic contamination of glaciers and the effects of plastic particles on climate and human health.
Fox – who graduated in May with a bachelor of science degree in Biochem- istry – distinguished herself before winning the Fulbright fellowship. She attended Fresno State through the select Smittcamp Family Honors Col- lege, led the campus’ environmental Sustainability Club, and competed in cross country and track and field. Fox also devoted hours in a campus research lab to one of the most debilitating neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's. The Study Abroad program helped lead her there.
Dr. David Lent – associate professor of Biology and director of the lab – co- led Fox’s 2019 trip to Costa Rica. After the trip, Lent encouraged Fox to get involved in research to help chart her professional future. She became a student assistant in Lent’s lab – exploring the effects of Alzheimer's med- ications on fruit flies – and is considering a career in medicine or doctoral research.
But for now, Iceland beckons. From September 2022 to May 2023, Fox will join researchers who recently found microplastic particles in Iceland’s Vatnajökull ice cap, the largest ice cap in Europe. The microplastics have the potential to speed melting of the ice cap, resulting in rising sea levels. Fox will help develop a system for collecting and analyzing samples from the ice to better understand how the particles affect climate and human health. The particles – transmitted worldwide by air currents – have been found in human blood, placentas and lung tissue.
As Fox prepared for graduation and the opportunities in her future, the value of studying abroad came into focus. So, she took time to help other Fresno State students have that experience. Fox filmed a television com- mercial – aired during KFSN’s broadcast of the Top Dog Awards in May – to promote The Passport Place at Fresno State. It is a service open to the public, with processing fees helping to finance student travel grants provided by the Study Abroad Office. Fox, for example, received a $1,000 travel grant when she went to Costa Rica. Such travel benefits both indi- viduals and the world, Fox says: “My study abroad experience expanded my academic profile and introduced me to the world of international cultural exchange – an essential part of maintaining our global sense of humanity. I cannot wait to serve as an ambassador of Fresno State during my Fulbright fellowship in Iceland, and to help more students obtain sim- ilar opportunities once I return.”
ACCESS - The Division of Continuing and Global Education 11