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Dana Vaughan, Professor of Biology, gave the address at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh morning Commencement ceremony May 14.

Here is a transcript of her speech:

“Thank you for that kind introduction. Well, hello Class of 2011.

“When I finally sat down to write this Commencement address, I asked myself: ‘What would the class want to hear, one last time, from a member of the faculty?’  That’s easy. An A grade on TitanWeb.

“But then I asked myself: ‘What do I want the class to hear, one last time, from me?’ That’s easy: ‘Why we bother about the brain biology of ground squirrels.’

“I’m just certain that is the burning question in the minds of everyone in this auditorium. You may think of ground squirrels as pesky vermin who put holes in an otherwise perfect lawn, but I think of them as role models; role models of resilience.

“Let me explain.

“Resilience is the ability of a body to recover after experiencing stress. And I do imagine that, after this Commencement, you’ll all be doing your level best to recover from final final exam stress. And later on, if your recovery involves any beer, you’ll recover from your recovery.

“Life, including college student life, is full of struggles against obstacles, some of them self-induced, and you can’t avoid them.

“A road through life that is straight and clear, a guaranteed smooth ride, just isn’t realistic.

“The road, for all of us, is some degree of broken. As a brain scientist, three of life’s obstacles that concern me are: stroke, traumatic brain injury and macular degeneration. These are big problems, with no simple solutions. These brain and eye problems kill nerve cells, never to return.  And that’s not the end of it. The nerve cells that survive the death of their neighbors rewire their connections in ways that make no sense, hopelessly disrupting communication. Then, other cells that normally act as nerve cell helpers turn into scar tissue that blocks communication even more. Brain and eye injuries are thus a three-stage calamity of cell death, bad wiring and scarring.

“Here’s how medical research traditionally seeks treatments for these problems: First, study all the patients you can. Figure out what goes wrong and use logic to design treatments to limit the damage. Second, model the damage in an animal and see which of your treatments work. Then, take successful treatments back to patients and hope they succeed there, too.

“Modeling is the kind of research I did when I first arrived at UW Oshkosh 13 years ago.

“But in 2002, I read two odd studies modeling brain and eye injuries in the ground squirrel. The reason for choosing the ground squirrel is that its brain, and especially its eyes, are far more like the human’s than those of the standard lab rat or mouse. The squirrel studies were a huge disappointment. Compared to what is seen in humans, rats and mice after the same type of injury, in the squirrel, fewer nerve cells died. What was worse, there was no abnormal rewiring in the surviving nerve cells; and there wasn’t any scarring.

“In a word, squirrels are amazingly resilient, abnormally resilient. And for that, they were all but abandoned as models because they didn’t respond to injury like humans do; they did too well.

“I, and increasingly others, see these studies not as disappointments but as opportunities, opportunities to study an organism that has already solved some mighty big problems. So that’s why I bother with squirrels.

“Following on this theme, my parting advice to the class of 2011 is: Seek out, associate with – yes, dare I say it, make a study of – resilient people.  People who’ve stood the test of time, gone where you are trying to go, not just survived but thrived life’s ups and downs.  These resilient people are your parents and your grandparents. They are your classmates, especially the nontraditionals, to whom I give a special tip of my hat today. These resilient people are your future co-workers. You’ll never know where you’ll meet them.

“At the same time, do not shrink from people who challenge, and in so doing build your resilience. Your brain, the source of your resilience, is like a muscle; it needs regular workouts to stay strong. Which brings me back to my status today as a representative of your UW Oshkosh faculty.  Faculty.  That’s kind of a funny word, as it derives from the French word for easy.  Somehow I doubt that any of you think back on your college career and say, ‘That was easy.’ Your faculty weren’t easy on you; I wasn’t easy on you; and you are more resilient for it. You’re graduating today, but your faculty’s interest in you, and our ambition for your resilience, does not end here.

“But now my remarks must.

“The radio greats, Bob and Ray, used to sign off by saying, ‘Hang on by your thumbs.’ and ‘Write if you get work.’

“Bob’s thumb thing, that’s resilience, so I definitely approve that message. But I’m going to have to update Ray and say instead: ‘Friend me on Facebook and email if you get work.’

“Good luck to every one of you, and thank you.”

Read more about spring 2011 commencement: