An Interview with Aiden Houck, Class of 2019
What does a Watershed graduate who is passionate about science and research and who can’t imagine a life without volunteer work do as their next step? For Aiden Houck ‘19, the decision was clear. He matriculated to Eckerd College, FL where he began working on research projects and volunteering with a maritime search and rescue organization right away.
Aiden and I had a chance to catch up during a recent break when I learned more about what his first three years of college have been like, how he feels Watershed influences him still today, and what he plans to do next. Our interview below shows the busy, fulfilling, and impactful life of a recent Watershed graduate who is heading in a direction he’s truly excited about.
As the Class of 2022 is currently experiencing, the college selection process can be both exciting and overwhelming! How was that experience for you and why did you choose Eckerd?
Since middle school, I thought I wanted to pursue Marine Sciences and I considered a ton of schools- McGill University, UC-Santa Barbara, UC-Santa Cruz, and Western Washington University to name a few. In the end, my choice of Eckerd was clear to me. It is a small school with an excellent science program that emphasizes undergraduate research work with professors and that is deeply involved with the local community beyond the walls of the college. It seemed like such a natural step from Watershed, in terms of academic and community philosophies, and in terms of providing opportunities to make an impact. And, it’s on the ocean!
As so often happens to college freshmen, I realized during my very first marine science course that I didn’t actually want to be a marine science major. I love the ocean and I think I always will, but I didn’t want that passion to mix with my work life- I wanted to keep those two things more separate. So, I quickly shifted my focus and declared a major in biochemistry and will also graduate in 2023 with two minors- mathematics and anthropology.
You’ve really taken your passion for biology and chemistry outside of classroom learning and into the world of scientific research. Can you tell me a little bit about your current work in Eckerd’s Natural Products and Medicinal Research Lab with Drs. Bonner and Ball?
Yes! Dr. Bonner is an assistant professor in the Chemistry Department and from the very beginning, she has been a mentor to me. Dr. Ball is a veterinarian and an assistant professor in the Biology Department and has long-standing research interest in manatees. Manatees throughout Florida are experiencing a problem with hyper-coagulating blood- when they’re cut by a boat propeller or something else, their blood coagulates or thickens too much. It thickens to the extent that it can’t move through the vessels near their injury well, resulting in massive cell death and permanent tissue damage in a large area around the original cut. This problem is especially acute in Tampa Bay manatees. Dr. Ball thinks that the problem is related to something in their diet. This is where I come in. Under Dr. Bonner's guidance, I’m conducting sequential seagrass extractions in the lab on native Tampa Bay seagrass. I am then testing the coagulation effects of these extracted seagrass chemicals on blood. My research, then, is focused on developing the lab techniques to, hopefully, isolate the components of seagrass that have coagulating properties. Dr. Ball and others can then use these techniques to further explore his hypothesis that the seagrasses manatees are eating are impacting the hyper-coagulation they are increasingly experiencing.
Wow! Your research has the potential to allow for years of future research projects.
I love the way that asking and researching questions in science leads to more questions and more research. And, you’re right, it is really exciting to be involved at the ground level in a research project. We’ll see what happens, but I’ll probably use my work on this project for my Senior Capstone Project in Biochemistry. Eckerd’s capstone project is ‘Watershed-esque’ in that it’s an opportunity to share work that is being done with people both in the field and outside of the field. I will have to communicate my research in a way that scientists and non-scientists alike will find interesting and meaningful. I like that challenge. And I think that FAIR, ROLs and other presentation opportunities at Watershed helped prepare me for the kind of presentation required in my capstone project next year.
It’s hard for me to grasp how you do this, but in addition to classes, your research, and time with friends, you are an active volunteer for a maritime search and rescue organization, aren’t you.
Yes- I average about 35 hours a week of volunteer work with the Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team (EC-SAR). We’re a 24-hr response team for maritime vessels in distress. So, if you’re boating in Tampa Bay and experience any sort of emergency- something as minor as having a dead battery to as major as a boat fire or a life threatening accident - you can contact EC-SAR directly or we will be called in by the Coast Guard or local emergency agencies to respond to a 911 call. When we get the call, we send out a boat and crew to help. We are an efficient and well-placed organization, so it’s not unusual for us to be first on scene. Sometimes we handle calls on our own and sometimes we’re part of a multi-organization, multi-vessel response team. I recently completed my First Mate training and am a certified EMT so am now asked to assume command in most situations. I’m also a Watch Leader and am in charge of training a group of 20 new volunteers. I love this work and am proud of the service EC-SAR provides to the local maritime community. We’re the only collegiate maritime search and rescue organization in the country.
It’s interesting-- service and community-level thinking were a big part of my experience at Watershed through expedition courses and May Term. When I got to Eckerd, I immediately felt the need to find a service-related activity. I ended up finding my way to EC-SAR during my first semester of college and have increased my commitment there over the years.
So, what’s next for you? Do you know what you’d like to do after graduation in 2023? My mind is racing with options! Grad school in biochemistry? A lab research position? Search and rescue?
(laughs) Sometimes it does seem a little overwhelming! I’m planning to spend some time in the next 6 months shadowing medical doctors- both in Spain and in the US. Medical school has been at the back of my mind for a while. I think I’ll know more once I’ve had a chance to do some shadowing. I really love scientific research, too, though, and am super interested in immunology. So- maybe medical school? Maybe grad school? Maybe a gap year? I’m not completely sure exactly where I’ll be in two years time. But, I’m excited about all of the options I have in mind. I also feel like I have a long time in front of me to work all of my interests and passions in somehow.
I’ve no doubt that you will and I’m already looking forward to interviewing you again in 5 or 6 years time to learn about your journey! You’ve already mentioned a number of ways in which you feel Watershed has influenced your path thus far. In closing, do you have any advice for current students at Watershed?
The experiences you have at Watershed will help shape who you are and how you show up in the world. Take those experiences along with the grit, the curiosity, and the empathy that were such a part of your Watershed career and go out and make a difference.