August 11, 2025
Tracy Wamarema '28
Learning by doing: How Shane Hathaway ’24 turned a senior thesis into a career
What began as a class assignment turned into a published study, a life-changing summer in California, and an unlikely passion for ants.
In 1998, a graduate student in San Diego carried out a study on the spread of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) across southern California, documenting where the invasive species had taken hold—and where native ants still held their ground. The study answered some questions but not all. For instance: Why did these ants thrive in some areas and not others?
Nearly 25 years later, Lake Forest College senior Shane Hathaway ’24 sought an answer. Under the guidance of Professor of Biology Sean Menke, Hathaway traveled to California in the summer of 2023 to revisit the original sites: Torrey Pines State Reserve and the Point Loma Ecological Conservation Area.
His discoveries were striking: One region saw a decrease in the Argentine ant’s range while the other showed complete stagnation suggesting that the species has reached its environmental limits. The culprit? Soil moisture.
Hathaway’s work helped fill in the blanks left by Professor Menke’s earlier PhD research, which had shown that irrigation fuels Argentine ant expansion but had yet to explain the patchiness of their success. By tying the ants’ two-decade retreat to soil type (and thus water retention), Hathaway’s work has added a crucial piece to the broader puzzle of invasive species ecology.
Building off this research, Menke plans to investigate how urban landscaping shifts, such as replacing grassy lawns with artificial turf, might influence the invasive spread of Argentine ants in a region increasingly defined by water scarcity.
The “major” decision
The practical nature of ecology always appealed to Hathaway.
“It seemed like the most tangible science I could study—getting out into the world and gaining an understanding of the environment around me,” he said. “That’s enough encouragement for me to get outside and touch grass.”
And he did—along with plenty of sand, too. But he didn’t start there.
Like many first-years, Hathaway arrived at Lake Forest College unsure of his academic path. He briefly tested out majors in neuroscience and economics before a hockey teammate’s advice brought him back to his love for the natural world. Realizing his credits aligned, he declared a double major in environmental studies and biology—a path that fit both his interests and his schedule.
“[It] just felt like it would take me to cooler places and eventually it did, which I was very happy about,” he said.
Beyond the classroom
Switching majors not only shifted Hathaway’s studies—it expanded his social circle.
“I got a lot of friends who were very different from the men’s hockey team because none of my teammates were in my classes. They were all doing finance,” he said. While his hockey friends remain some of his closest, the classroom gave him a fuller taste of Lake Forest’s diversity.
That broadened perspective extended beyond socializing, shaping how he spent his summers as well. Between coaching hockey and gardening, Hathaway also worked with the College’s ecological restoration team—an opportunity that offered hands-on experience tied to his growing environmental interests.
“I was kind of a landscaper but a more ecologically friendly landscaper,” he laughed. “No lawnmower, just some shovels...so that was fun.”
Even more fun? His internship with the Lake Forest Openlands Association the summer after sophomore year. As an ecological restoration technician, he did similar work—habitat restoration, weeding, mulching—but on a much larger scale. That experience paved the way for the research he would pursue the following summer.
Meet the ants
Hathaway enrolled as a junior in BIOL 220: Evolution and Ecology, taught by Associate Professor of Biology Flavia Barbosa. It was in that class that he encountered Menke’s ant research.
“It was an early class in the major—I was just trying to get my feet wet with lab reports and longer research projects,” said Hathaway. But something about that paper stuck.
With his curiosity piqued, Hathaway approached Menke and boldly asked to join his research team.
“It was a big ask from a guy who hadn’t done any work with him before,” said Hathaway.
Each year, Menke led field research trips, typically prioritizing students already working in his lab. One of those students was Calliope Saban ’25, a long-term member of Menke’s lab since her first year as a Richter Scholar. Her continued involvement had secured her funding for the trip.
Though Hathaway lacked comparable experience, his determination and initiative did not go unnoticed.
Luck and opportunity
There’s a famous line from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist that goes, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Shane Hathaway’s story might just be proof.
With no lab experience and no guaranteed funding, he wound up co-leading a research project—funded by California State Parks and the National Park Service—that was later published in a peer-reviewed international journal with Hathaway as lead author.
According to Professor Menke, it was “luck and opportunity—a little bit of both.”
Hathaway had already secured housing in Southern California and saved enough from summer jobs to cover his food and expenses. As for travel, he had planned a cross-country road trip with his college roommate, Ben Perkins ’24—spending eight days driving from Illinois to California. They eventually landed at the Perkins family home in San Diego, where they would stay for the summer. When Professor Menke told him funding only allowed for one student, Hathaway didn’t back down—he asked to be connected with other researchers in the area, determined to make the trip count either way.
Then, at the eleventh hour, the grant came through. Menke, who was Hathaway’s academic advisor at the time, managed to scrape together enough funding to pay him for the summer. From there, the idea to turn the research into a senior thesis naturally took shape.
A student at the helm
From day one, the two-and-a-half-year project had a clear goal: to produce meaningful, publication-worthy findings. And it delivered.
The surprise was not that the paper was published but that a student was listed as its lead author.
Menke said he doesn’t expect students to come in with advanced expertise, but he does expect them to be proactive, offer insights, and take real ownership of their work. It’s a model rooted in his dual passion for research and teaching, a balance made possible by the liberal arts environment at Lake Forest College. And he’s not alone in that approach.
“All our labs in the biology department are designed to incorporate and feature student research,” Menke said. “It's not just a lip service thing that somebody says when they're giving a tour. This publication is evidence that our faculty do this and that students get really amazing experiences.”
Authorship and ownership
Hathaway and Saban were part of the second student cohort Menke took out to California. The earlier group had contributed to fieldwork on a different project, but none had developed their research into senior theses—so they weren’t listed as co-authors.
“That’s the difference,” Menke explained. “Students in my lab who contribute significantly to the writing and analysis get authorship. Just collecting data isn’t enough.”
It’s a standard aligned with scientific publishing norms. Menke and David A. Holway conceptualized the research and developed the methodology. Saban and Hathaway joined as field researchers. However, it was Hathaway’s decision to transform the project into a senior thesis and draft the first manuscript that solidified his place as lead author.
At Lake Forest College, a senior thesis in biology is no small feat. It spans a full summer of research and continues through two semesters of intensive coursework. Students are expected to produce a full scientific paper—not just collect data but interpret it, write about it and defend it.
“I try to let them formulate their own writing,” said Menke. “As they go, I might point out what’s missing or what doesn’t quite fit the topic. But ultimately, it’s their paper.”
That ownership is what earned Hathaway first authorship. In ecological literature, the first author typically does the bulk of the writing and hands-on research. The last author, often the faculty lead, is the conceptual architect. Everyone else falls in between.
In science, as in life, it’s not just about doing the work—it’s about how you shape and share it.
The value of experiential learning
There’s a reason the phrase “experience is the best teacher” endures—Menke is living proof. Though he’s authored 23 published papers on ant species, Dr. Menke is a herpetologist by training, a scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians—a far cry from insects.
“When I was an undergrad, I wanted to be a wildlife veterinarian,” he said. “But once I started exploring that path, I realized I didn’t like cutting animals open. I didn’t like surgery.”
Lesson learned.
That realization steered him toward wildlife biology. He began researching frogs during his undergraduate then focused on desert lizard ecology throughout his master’s and PhD. At the University of California - San Diego, he worked with a fellow herpetologist—until that professor retired unexpectedly during Menke’s first year.
That’s when experience came calling again.
With his original partner gone, Menke joined a different lab run by a young professor exploring similar ecological questions but about ants.
“I knew nothing about ants. I had never even taken an entomology course,” he said. “But the questions were the same, the research approach was the same—and I really liked what we were doing.”
Another win for experience. That unplanned pivot turned into a defining career shift.
“Basically, all my research has been on ants since my master's degree. The more I learn about ants, the cooler they are. But I was never interested in insects or bugs as a kid, any more than any kid is.”
It’s a story that reflects Professor Menke’s core philosophy as a teacher: real learning happens through doing. His students often spend hours outdoors doing fieldwork, braving everything from the weather to the weeds.
“Yesterday, many of them pulled more than ten ticks off their clothes after the first field site,” Menke said. “You’re not sitting in a nice temperature-controlled lab. That’s not what I do. And you won’t know if you like it until you try it.”
Something can sound exciting in theory, but practice is where the rubber meets the road.
The aftermath
Hathaway never imagined that a research project on ants would lead to a job by the beach in Southern California—but it did.
After graduating from Lake Forest College in 2024, he briefly enrolled in a marine biology graduate program in San Diego, accepted in part thanks to his published thesis. When it turned out not to be the right fit, Hathaway did what research had taught him to do best: adapt.
Today, Hathaway works as an environmental underwriter at Palomar, a specialty insurance company based in La Jolla, California. He evaluates pollution risks for clients ranging from fire remediation contractors to mold abatement companies and recycling facilities, tailoring coverage to each unique case. This role has given him a broader understanding of the pollution risks that exist in various industries as well as in everyday life.
“It’s more corporate than I expected,” he admitted, “but I still get to use my research skills and focus on environmental issues that matter.”
More than the job, it’s the company culture that sealed the deal. “Palomar fosters ambition, growth, and community,” Hathaway said. The ocean just minutes from his office? A happy bonus. “It’s paradise. Sometimes I think I’m in a simulation.”
Looking back, Hathaway credits his undergraduate research at Lake Forest College for giving him direction.
“There’s this idea that you need to go far or have tons of funding,” he said, “But honestly, there are ecosystems in your backyard. There’s always something to study, something to discover.”
His advice? Start small—but start. “If you’re not sure where to begin, talk to a professor or a friend who’s done research. The only person holding you back is you.”
He also urges students to be patient—with themselves and with the process. “Research is long and sometimes your first draft gets ripped apart. But the people who challenge you most—those are the ones who help you grow,” said Hathaway.
For him, that person was Professor Menke.
“He pushed me further than I thought I could go. He showed me I was capable of more.”
Menke continues to open doors for students like Hathaway—sending out calls for research assistants, teaching stimulating courses and inviting curiosity over credentials.
“Shane got involved because he approached me,” Menke said. “If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known he was interested.”
And that’s the secret: for those bold enough to knock, the door often opens. Experience welcome. Passion and persistence required.
About the author
Tracy Wamarema '28 is a sophomore at Lake Forest College and a creative communicator with a passion for exploring the human experience in all its forms. Through journalism, film, radio, and poetry, she seeks out the universal threads that connect us while honoring the beauty of our differences.