Spring 2015 Undergraduate Research
During spring semester of 2015, I was brought in as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Dr. Josh Benoit of UC’s Biology Department under one of his graduate students, Emily Jennings. The lab is involved with a number of projects aimed around the exploration of insect stress tolerance and the effect of stress on gene expression (epigenetics). Emily’s work, which I have been assisting on, revolves around the only cockroach species to give live birth, Diploptera punctata. Since they give live birth, we have used them to model the effects of certain stressors during pregnancy as it might relate to humans. For example, one of the projects I have been helping with—and will continue to help with through the summer of 2015—is modeling fetal alcohol syndrome with these cockroaches.
Even though my focus is in environmental science, I think having any kind of research experience has been already very beneficial for me. I now know how research labs work and can collaborate effectively with others in that type of environment. I’m no longer nearly as intimidated by scientific research as I was prior to this experience. Going forward, I hope that I can continue to grow as a scientist as I transition from this experience to the summer Women in Science and Engineering program here at UC. I still have a lot to learn about the scientific research world, but I know that this knowledge will help me a lot seeing as how highly interdisciplinary environmental science is as a field and knowing that even if I don’t research as a career, I will work plenty with people who do.
Below, I have included the presentation I gave as a dissemination of my research. I was invited to speak to three AP Environmental Science classes at my old high school about my research as well as the environmental studies major at UC/my college experience overall. This was such a great opportunity to reflect on all of the things I have taken from college so far with an emphasis on my academic pursuits. I loved seeing how interested the students were in my research (probably mainly because of the test subject...), and I hope that I was able to encourage some of them to branch out into research when they get to college. I also included some images of the work that I have been doing with the fetal alcohol syndrome study, so that people can see exactly what my work has entailed.
Even though my focus is in environmental science, I think having any kind of research experience has been already very beneficial for me. I now know how research labs work and can collaborate effectively with others in that type of environment. I’m no longer nearly as intimidated by scientific research as I was prior to this experience. Going forward, I hope that I can continue to grow as a scientist as I transition from this experience to the summer Women in Science and Engineering program here at UC. I still have a lot to learn about the scientific research world, but I know that this knowledge will help me a lot seeing as how highly interdisciplinary environmental science is as a field and knowing that even if I don’t research as a career, I will work plenty with people who do.
Below, I have included the presentation I gave as a dissemination of my research. I was invited to speak to three AP Environmental Science classes at my old high school about my research as well as the environmental studies major at UC/my college experience overall. This was such a great opportunity to reflect on all of the things I have taken from college so far with an emphasis on my academic pursuits. I loved seeing how interested the students were in my research (probably mainly because of the test subject...), and I hope that I was able to encourage some of them to branch out into research when they get to college. I also included some images of the work that I have been doing with the fetal alcohol syndrome study, so that people can see exactly what my work has entailed.