Bucknell Students Are Making the Most of Their Extended Winter Break

After a semester like no other, Bucknell students have embarked on a winter break unlike any before.

They left Bucknell as scheduled on Nov. 20 and will return for the first day of classes on Feb. 1, a schedule that creates a winter break more than twice the normal length.

In their 73 days away from campus, students will enjoy a hard-earned opportunity to relax, recharge and celebrate the successful completion of an on-campus semester during a global pandemic.

Many Bucknell students have opted to maximize this extra time, devoting their 10-plus weeks away to impactful research projects, lifelong hobbies and resume-building internships.

"This year's winter break leaves time to work on things I enjoy," says Kristin Smith '21, a biology and women's & gender studies double-major from Libertyville, Ill. "Normally, I spend most of the winter break relaxing and spending time with family, but considering how long it is, we now have the opportunity to invest in projects or hobbies we don't normally have the time to do."

Like most Bucknell students, Smith has dozens of passions and must expertly schedule each week of her semester to fit everything in. She has structured her winter break in a similar way.

A large block of time will be devoted to continuing research with Professor Mark Haussmann, biology, and two fellow students: Lexi Abravanel '21 and Shannon McCollum '22.

They're studying the effects of stress in quail, but instead of probing the well-trodden ground of acute, short-term stress in animals, the researchers are looking at the stress accumulated over a lifetime. Their findings could help us better understand the effects of stress on humans.

"This project allowed me to drill down on the cellular and physiological aspects of what we discuss in so many of my biology courses," Smith says. "While this study was done in quail, I think it's interesting how you can relate this topic to humans."

But that's just one part of Smith's winter break plan.

Smith is considering medical school in the future, so she'll shadow a physician during telehealth calls with patients. Smith knows the pandemic has been tough on people who are terminally ill, so she and her mom are making holiday cards to send to a hospice care facility. And Smith loves to dance, so she'll take virtual classes that let her put creativity in motion.

"I actually chose Bucknell because of both its biology department and the dance program," Smith says. "Dance has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I couldn't find anywhere else that let me pursue rigorous academics while dancing at the level of skill and commitment that the theatre & dance department provides."

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