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Isabella Emerick is a Senior at �������� who is majoring in English with a concentration in Professional Writing. She is also pursuing two minors in Paleontology and Italian Studies. Isabella participated in ��������’s SURE program, where she worked with Dr. Spurlock, and Dr. Mechenbier, to study three works of science fiction, Frankenstein, Remarkable Creatures, and Clan of the Cave Bear, and the inspirations behind them, combining her love for writing with Paleontology and Anthropology.  

In the Spring of 2024, Emerick tried to get involved with the SURE program but was unable to find a mentor in time. Determined, she tried again the following Spring of 2025, and was lucky enough to work under not one, but two mentors, Dr. Spurlock, and Dr. Mechenbier. She was enrolled in courses taught by the two professors that spring, Human Evolution and How to Edit Professionally, with a chance meeting that involved going over an essay for her editing class with Dr. Mechenbier that set the project in motion. Dr. Mechenbier sent Emerick to Dr. Spurlock’s office later that same day, where the two brainstormed ideas for a project that combined science and literature. They came up with the idea of having Emerick read three books over the summer of 2025, Frankenstein, Remarkable Creatures, and Clan of the Cave Bear, and research the inspiration behind these classic works of science fiction.  

Emerick states that “I have always had a strong love for both science and literature, as evident by my major and minors that often elicit a look of surprise from people when they ask what I am studying. To be able to combine both fields is important for me, and I hope it’s seen as an opportunity for other students who feel as though they are caught between two different worlds.”  

The project involved the purchase of the three novels, as well as fossils from England that related to one of the books studied, Remarkable Creatures, a fictional story about a not so fictional woman, the legendary fossil hunter Mary Anning. As per her mentor's request, Emerick was instructed to reach out to museums in the state of Ohio to inquire about fossils of hominins and marine reptiles, two of which had what she was looking for, the Orton Geological Museum at Ohio State, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.  

After reading the assigned novels, Emerick then had to find peer reviewed articles that related to the works in some capacity. “That was a difficult aspect of my research, making sure that the articles were professionally put together and wasn’t just someone’s blog post, but had real and valid research behind them, with points that related to the themes and science behind the stories I read.” Nine articles were selected in total, with three going to each book; however one of those articles was a field report suggested by Dr. Spurlock titled Shanidar, The First Flower People written by Dr. Solecki of Columbia University, whose discoveries at Shanidar Cave showed that Neanderthals buried their dead, which corelated with one of Emerick’s assigned books, Clan of the Cave Bear.  

Emerick’s findings from her research showed that these works of science fiction drew on public demonstrations of the late 18th and early 19th centuries on topics of galvanism and the joys of electricity, as well as documents and written reports about Mary Anning and Shanidar Cave. “It was extremely rewarding when the puzzle pieces started to come together, not only in finding the origins of these books and what could have inspired their authors to write them, but also the commonalities between the three main novels, of which is the theme of human connection and a desire to belong,” states Emerick.  

The SURE program provided Emerick with opportunities that she never imagined. “Through this research opportunity I have made lifelong connections with my mentors, connected with professors outside of ��������, and came to realize how capable I am, and just how competent I am as not only a student researcher, but as a human being.”