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NCSU Sweepotato Breeding and Genetics Lab
NCSU Sweepotato Breeding and Genetics Lab
Image courtesy of the Old Farmer's Almanac
Summer Research Technician
Summer Research Technician
The sweetpotato breeding and genetics program is one of the oldest and most successful research programs at NCSU. Main goals of the program are to breed sweeetpotatoes that are well adapted to NC and surrounding regions, broaden germplasm, and train a combination of local and international graduate students.
As a Summer Research Technician with Dr. Criag Yencho's Sweetpotato Breeding and Genetics program, I facilitated the installation of tens of field trials in Kinston and Clinton, NC. My direct responsibility was to ensure the correct plot design and placement of germplasm in each field trial. Other tasks included preparing cuttings and general greenhouse maintenance.
NCSU Life Engineering Lab
NCSU Life Engineering Lab
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Undergraduate Research Assistant
I spent the majority of my time as an undergraduate research assistant with the NCSU Life Engineering Lab. I worked on multiple different projects and gained valuable laboratory skills in bacterial cloning methods such as plasmid preparation, PCR, transduction/transformation, SDS-PAGE, and Western blot protein analysis.
I was able to gain experience managing projects on my own by leading the fulfillment of a soil microbiome project aimed at identifying microbes capable of suppressing Fusarim spp. Additionally, I created phagemid particles with the abiliy to package non-phage DNA as part of a larger CRISPR antimicrobials project.
NCSU Biotechnology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (BIT SURE)
NCSU Biotechnology Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (BIT SURE)
Image courtesy of Texas A&M University Engineering
Summer Research Mentee
Summer Research Mentee
The BIT SURE program is a 2 month long undergraduate research program that supports the development of students interested in graduate school research. The program begins in mid-May and ends in late- July with a final Poster Presentation. I worked on a student team with the collective goal of gaining a better understanding of differential gene expression in various crop species.
The data obtained from this project provides valuable information pertaining to gene function in meristematic tissue that can lead scientists to select for valuable traits, such as fruit size and disease resistance.
NCSU Tobacco and Field Crops Pathology Lab
NCSU Tobacco and Field Crops Pathology Lab
Image courtesy of NCSU Extension
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Undergraduate Research Assistant
As my first ever undergraduate research experience, I was tasked with becoming familiar with the lab space and understanding important techniques. I learned how to extract DNA, perform 16s PCR and gel electrophoresis, and correctly submit microbial DNA samples for sequencing. In addition, I supported field work activities by collecting biomass data for cotton, tobacco, and hemp. After becoming acclimated to the lab space, I began writing fact sheets for NCSU Extension. Fact sheets are short pieces of writing that describe essential details of a particular crop disease. I wrote 2 fact sheets on Target Spot of Tobacco and Blue Mold of Tobacco during my time with the lab.
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