Symbiotic Success

Sisters each chart exciting science careers

by MaryAlice Bitts

April 20, 2010

Science majors Melissa ’10 (left) and Jessica Nixon ’12 often spend time together, in and out of the lab. Jessica says she decided to enroll in part because of Melissa’s successes on campus. “She had only good things to say about the college,” Jessica explains.

It’s not unusual for siblings to attend the same college or university. But when those siblings are standout student-scientists Melissa ’10 and Jessica Nixon ’12, it’s time to take note. These sister Dickinsonians from Newtown, Pa., are charting separate yet equally exciting career paths that meld the sciences and the arts.

Melissa and Jessica’s father, an endodontist, encouraged his daughters to explore the sciences from a young age. “Before I was even in school, I would conduct my own experiments on grass and worms,” says biology major Melissa, who also fondly recalls performing rudimentary science experiments with her younger sister. “It was just something I always knew I wanted to do.”

Today, this Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll swimmer works with Missy Niblock, assistant professor of biology, to identify the central chemoreceptors that may contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)—research that may ultimately help save lives.

“Melissa has been an integral part of uncovering a sex difference in the central chemoreceptors, which is very interesting, given the disproportionate number of boys who die of SIDS,” says Niblock. “Not only is she very bright and a hard worker, but she also has amazing technical skills.”

At the encouragement of her mother, a pianist, Melissa also has cultivated an interest in the arts; she especially enjoys sculpting. “I decided [to pursue a career in] dentistry because it would satisfy both my fascination with science and love for inspiring artistic form,” says Melissa, who plans to complete a dental-assistance internship after graduation, while she prepares for the dental-school exam.

Jessica, a triple-major and club-lacrosse player, is similarly well-rounded—and equally ambitious. Drawing on her 15 years of piano lessons, Jessica initially majored in music and later added majors in biology and neuroscience. 

Last summer, Jessica helped research, develop and conduct a case study in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her findings have been published in a major neuroscience journal. And, like Melissa, she plans to conduct research with Niblock next spring.  

While some siblings compete to be crowned the family’s top achiever, these sisters relish each other’s accomplishments and friendship. “My sister is always there for me,” says Jessica, who has enjoyed taking a class with Melissa this semester.

“Being at Dickinson together with my sister has brought us closer, both as sisters and friends,” Melissa agrees, noting that the two sisters meet for breakfast each morning, travel home together on breaks and occasionally study together. “It has really been amazing.”