Dr. Sara McClelland is an assistant professor in Moravian’s Biology department, a respected teacher and colleague, and the recipient of a prestigious, half-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation.
Yet none of that would have happened if her parents – a stay-at-home mom and a coal miner dad in southwestern Pennsylvania – hadn’t valued education and pushed a young McClelland and her brother to excel in school. Even then, McClelland hadn’t set her sights on higher education as high school graduation neared.
“I didn’t want to go to college, at first,” she admits.
On her parents’ insistence, McClelland applied to Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV. Her interest in the outdoors was fostered by a childhood spent in rural Pennsylvania,
“We spent all day outside playing,” said McClelland. “I recall always being interested in animals. When I was asked what I wanted to do on vacation or where I wanted to go, my inevitable answer was either a zoo, aquarium, or science center.”
Her intrinsic interest in the environment and sciences led McClelland to the Wheeling Jesuit University’s biology department, where she thrived.
“I loved the labs, the hands-on work, and learning,” she said.
McClelland remembers many caring professors who mentored her during her undergraduate studies; one professor encouraged her to continue her education in graduate school. McClelland focused her research on different pesticides and chemical pollutants, such as organophosphates, carbamates, and atrazine, at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
A growing passion for practical research and scientific discovery became a guiding force in McClelland’s academic career at Moravian, where she began teaching in 2020. After years of working with chemical pollutants as a professor, she decided it was time for something new.
“I was trying to think about how to engage different students and so I had a list of ideas,” she said. “One of them [was] microplastics, and one of my students said, ‘I think I’d like to do that.'”
Microplastics, small particles of plastic less than five millimeters in size, have been gaining attention over the past few years. But it wasn’t until McClelland and her students began working with them that they realized just how limited the existing research was.
McClelland decided to change that by putting together a grant application with her undergraduate students to research the effects of microplastics. A grant of $500,846 from the National Science Foundation’s program: Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) was awarded in Sept. 2024.
McClelland’s work primarily revolves around understanding how microplastics affect both the biology and health of animals and, ultimately, humans. Due to the mass production and widespread use of plastic, microplastics exist everywhere: in our water, food, even our bodies.
McClelland and her students are curious about the implications that these plastics have on living creatures, specifically tadpoles.
“When you think about tadpoles, they’re very similar to humans in utero,” said McClelland. “When they undergo metamorphosis into the frog stage, it’s kind of like being born and transitioning into a baby.”
McClelland hopes her research will better show how microplastics affect humans and also spur efforts to reduce plastic pollution overall.
Through the NSF grant, not only is McClelland looking for answers to important and impactful questions, but she is also committed to providing opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in cutting-edge scientific work.
McClelland’s undergraduate students not only work alongside her in the lab, they also receive a portion of the grant money, attend conferences, present their findings, and network with scientists from across the world.
“I think this grant really ups the ante as far as our undergraduate research program at Moravian,” McClelland said. “In a lot of schools that have these types of sciences, money is mostly being given to graduate students. So to give this opportunity to undergraduates really opens doors for them.”
One of those opportunities takes place in July. That’s when McClelland will take her student research assistants to the annual joint meeting of ichthyologists and herpetologists in Pittsburgh. There, for the first time, she and her students will present their research on the neurodevelopmental impacts of organophosphates on both early and late-stage amphibian larvae and their analysis of tadpole responses to chronic exposure to microplastics.
Of course, there are challenges to McClelland’s work. Microplastics research is still a relatively new field and there are a lot of unknowns. McClelland is undeterred. She is committed to pushing through whatever setbacks may come and using them as learning opportunities for her students.
McClelland welcomes the opportunity to help her students and guide them toward success. Mentorship played a critical role in her undergraduate studies and career, and she strives to offer the same to her students. Whether it’s providing advice and opportunities, or simply being there to listen, McClelland takes her role as a professor and mentor seriously.
Decorations and gifts line the walls in McClelland’s office, but one specific thing stands out. On the very top shelf sits a giant stuffed animal octopus.
“That’s my favorite one,” she said, her eyes lighting up.
She happily shared the story of this gift which was given by one of her favorite classes, along with a thank-you note from the students expressing deep gratitude to McClelland. Trying to avoid tears, McClelland was hesitant to read the note but after the class asked her to, she conceded. Moments like these underscore McClelland’s impact on students and the importance of connecting with her students and encouraging them to follow their passion for science.
