Erika Holmes, a candidate for May graduation from Hamilton College, has been awarded a St. Andrew's Society Scholarship. The society provides funding for two Scottish-American students to study in Scotland to promote cultural interchange and goodwill between Scotland and the United States. Holmes will study at the University of Edinburgh where she will pursue graduate studies in biology.
Holmes is the second Hamilton student to be awarded the scholarship in recent years. Caitlyn Cook '01 was a recipient and studied at the University of St. Andrew's in 2001.
Holmes plans to pursue research in marine immunology. Her senior thesis investigates the effects of tributyltin (TBT) toxins on gastropods in the intertidal ecosystem of New England. TBT has deleterious effects on the reproduction and immune systems in gastropods and many other organisms, including humans. The University of Edinburgh is home to the state-of-the-art Institute of Immunology, which opened in 2004. Research at the Institute, specifically with immune modulation in marine invertebrates, parallels my educational interests. The University of Edinburgh is the only school with an immunology program that will enable her to combine her interests in marine biology and immunology.
Holmes plans to will complete a 12-month Professional Research Graduate Diploma in Education for Biology. In addition, Scotland is home to the Scottish Association for the Marine Sciences (SAMS). Founded more than 110 years ago, it is one of the oldest oceanographic organizations in the world. Membership in this organization will enable her to attend the largest SAMS convention to date in Oban, Scotland, September 2006.
