Northern Michigan University undergraduate student Vanessa Steigauf, originally from Singen, Germany, co-authored an article in Nature, a weekly international journal publishing the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology. She is a neuroscience-cell and molecular biology student.
Steigauf was one of seven co-authors credited for the article "Phylogenetic comparative analysis of the cerebellocerebral system in 34 species highlights primategeneral expansion of cerebellar crura I-II.” Her NMU faculty adviser is Professor Erich Ottem.
"Publishing research is the hallmark of a scientist's career, and Nature is considered one of the top two journals on the planet," said Jill Leonard, chair of the Biology Department. "It's highly prestigious for anyone to get published in it, to say nothing of an undergrad. Vanessa did it by being selected for an internship at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, in summer 2022. Her faculty adviser is Professor Erich Ottem."
For the internship, Steigauf joined Dr. Sofie Valk and doctoral student Neville Magielse, both co-authors on the paper, in the Otto Hahn Group of Cognitive Neuroscience.
"The study I helped with included the comparison of cerebellar and cerebral volumes throughout primate evolution," said Steigauf in a previous interview.
Steigauf and her team looked at chimpanzees and human cerebrums and cerebellums. They found that both chimp and human brains evolve at a similar rate.
“A certain area of the [human] cerebellum evolves faster; we hypothesize that it had to do with more advanced functions, like social cognition, language and emotion," Steigauf said. "This is new because we assume that the cerebellum is just for balance and movement and simple tasks. Now that area is for something more advanced. This study was important because we only have a rough outline of what the brain can do; there is still a lot we do not know.
“My main work was working on 63 MRI primate scans data and putting them in a 3D program, then segmenting the specific areas. I kind of mark the area of interest, and that was my main work, looking at the data and making it as visual as possible.”
Steigauf has excelled at both academics and athletics. She is a member of NMU's Swim and Dive team, mainly competing in mid-distance freestyle races. She also writes for Swimming World magazine, putting science into a simple language relevant to athletics.
“Most of the time it's really hard to understand what cool findings means for sports,” she said. “I love authors who write what sounds interesting and actually help you feel better in the water, especially as female athletes.”
Steigauf said she became interested in neuroscience because it was the "in-between" of psychology and biology. She will graduate with her bachelor's degree this May. She plans to return to NMU to get her master's in integrative biosciences, doing research with the department of Human Health and Performance.
Steigauf loves outdoor activities including: hiking, skiing, climbing, running and biking. She said she loves the calm environment at NMU and never struggles to find someone to explore the Upper Peninsula with.