Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Quinn Girard

Quinn was awarded the Deans' Summer Research Fellowship for summer 2025. Learn more about her time below.

Quinn is standing with a group of others in front of large green mountains and a blue sky

 

Author: Quinn Girard

What was your major research question for the DSRF project and where do you hope this project will go?

My initial research question was: Is the transportation of poultry to market influencing the spatial distribution of influenza viruses? This summer, I helped sample over 800 animals and survey almost 300 people in rural northeastern Madagascar with hopes of investigating this question, along with many others. While processing of samples is still in progress, I have decided to pivot from my initial question slightly for my senior thesis. After seeing the different ways and extent to which people interact with their animals, I am not curious about the dynamics of zoonoses and reverse zoonoses at the "household" level -- meaning between animals and their owners, rather than looking more at the community scale like I initially planned.

What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?

The travel logistics of heading to Madagascar by myself were overwhelming at first, but thankfully, I was able to lean on my mentors and fellow lab members for support. Speaking with graduate students who had done fieldwork in the region previously was incredibly helpful in getting everything figured out and feeling prepared to take on this challenging (but amazing) adventure.

What sparked your interest in this field?

A class I took my freshman year called AIDS and Emerging Diseases, which introduced me to the concept of zoonoses.

Curious about DSRF?

This project was made possible through the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF)—a unique opportunity for rising juniors and seniors in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to pursue funded summer research full-time!  

Effective this 2025-2026 Academic year, we are rebranding DSRF to be the Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR)! If you're pursuing graduation with distinction and are passionate about research, consider applying to T-SUMR in December of your Sophomore or Junior year.