America
East will highlight one of its student-athletes each month for the
length of the school year. “Shining Stars, Star Students” documents the
life of some of the conference’s star athletes beyond just their
athletic achievements. In this month's installment, the spotlight is on several University of Vermont student-athletes who have shined in their sport, in the classroom and beyond. John A. Fantino, Burlington Free Press Staff Writer, wrote this piece for the December 12, 2007 edition of the paper.
UVM athletes bring brains and brawn
Athletes at the University of Vermont continue to take a
sledgehammer to the dumb-jock stereotype.
Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 By John A.
Fantino Burlington Free Press Staff Writer
HEATHER MCLAUGHLIN
Senior, Essex Junction
Women's cross country and track and field
Major: Biochemistry
The only thing Heather McLaughlin has more passion for
than running is science.
"I want to go into biological research and try to
figure out the mechanisms by which diseases might be caused," said
McLaughlin, who boasts a 3.93 GPA.
Classes in molecular genetics, advanced cell biology and
immunology, a branch of biomedical science that covers all aspects of the
immune system? McLaughlin has aced them all. These days, the senior from Essex
Junction is diving headlong into research dealing with liver cancer.
"It's really interesting to be able to take a
problem and use all these different techniques that you learned in all your
classes," McLaughlin said, "then apply them and get answers."
As a junior, McLaughlin helped the Catamounts women's
cross-country team to its best finish in four years. She said there's no better
a way to jump-start her days than running practices at dawn.
McLaughlin, who just applied to graduate school, spent
last summer at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, in an internship
that allowed her to delve into research on glaucoma.
"It was such a great experience," she said.
"Plus the trails up there were absolutely amazing."
CHRISTA SHERBURNE
Senior, Potsdam, N.Y.
Women's swimming
Major: Biological sciences
During the past 3 1/2 years, Christa Sherburne has taken
classes in organic chemistry, forensics, genetics and developmental biology.
All that after spending a couple of hours each morning churning out practice
laps in the swimming pool.
The senior from Potsdam, N.Y., has taken the workload in
stride. A freestyle specialist and team captain, Sherburne sports a 3.82 GPA.
"I have a really good work ethic. I'm really
thankful and proud of it," Sherburne said.
Sherburne's course work had her on a path toward medical
school, but she recently decided to pursue graduate school and a career as a
genetic counselor, a profession that will allow her to help families cope with
hereditary diseases.
"They are the liaison between a family and the
doctor," Sherburne said. "Say a family has cystic fibrosis in their
genes and want to know the chances that their baby would have it. If they are
really, really high, they might say, 'We don't want to put a baby through that;
we are going to adopt.'"
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