Undergrad Research Helps Pinpoint Career Goals Early On

As an Exercise Physiology major, Kaia Austin '29 spent her summer in a research lab studying the estrous cycle of rats.

Sep 18, 2026 By Emily Elveru

For sophomore Kaia Austin ʼ29, a summer working with rats helped her gain clarity on what her future could look like after Gustavus.

Kaia Austin hates rats. Well, she used to hate rats. This summer, the Gustavus sophomore spent 10 weeks researching the female reproductive cycle. The test subject? You guessed it: Those small long-tailed rodents. “Having grown up on a farm, I knew these wouldn’t be wild rats—but I still had a huge fear of them,” says the Mankato native. With the guidance of Kelle Nett ʼ16, assistant professor of Psychological Science and lab supervisor, Kaia and her three lab mates underwent what Nett dubbed “Rat 101,” where they learned how to handle the animals and perform daily checks.

Kaia’s research required tracking the estrous cycle of the rats and its relation to sucrose cravings. This provides preliminary information for the relationship between cravings and the phases of the menstrual cycle in human females, specifically looking at high versus low estrogen levels. “We're interested in figuring out how getting your period may affect the rest of your body, like experiencing cravings,” explains Kaia. “We’re currently looking more at correlation than causation.”

Through Signature Experience (SigX), Kaia met weekly with a cohort of other students conducting summer research and a faculty mentor, who helped them connect their time in the lab to their career plans. “Even if this research has nothing to do with what you may do in the future, we’re able to ask: How could it help in your career? What are you learning? What skills are you gaining?” says Kaia, who’s majoring in Exercise Physiology with plans to attend medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. “I’ve been able to figure out how to utilize life experiences, good or bad, to understand not only myself better, but how to build upon those experiences.”

Kaia first learned of undergrad research opportunities at Gustavus on a campus tour. “Since I want to go into the medical field, having research hours is a valuable perspective,” she says. After meeting with faculty mentors to discuss various research projects, Kaia was able to rank her interests. “This was a great opportunity, because I was able to choose a project I was passionate about,” she says.

The research program has also helped Kaia narrow her interests. “It’s given me the perspective that I want to do something with the female reproductive system as an orthopedic surgeon,” she says. “This experience assured me even more of the career that I’ve wanted to go into for most of my life.”

Plus, it’s given her a new set of friends—both four- and two-legged. “Every day, my lab mates and I would write a ‘word of the day’ on our whiteboard,” explains Kaia. The ritual started with real words but quickly morphed into silly things. “When we collect samples of the rats, they find it comforting to be in dark spaces so we wrap them up in a towel and they look like a burrito.” The word that day: bur-rat-o.

As for whether a pet rat will be in Kaia’s future? “Probably not,” she says. “I'm going to stick with my dogs, but I can still look at them and think they're cute.”

IMAGE: Lab mates Shayma Said '28, Kaia Austin '29, and Zainab Syed '27 with advisor Kelle Nett.

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students and advisor in science lab — Lab mates Shayma Said '28, Kaia Austin '29, and Zainab Syed '27 with advisor Kelle Nett.

Undergrad Research Helps Pinpoint Career Goals Early On

For sophomore Kaia Austin ʼ29, a summer working with rats helped her gain clarity on what her future could look like after Gustavus.

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