SISP Spotlight: Anshika Shekhar
Co-Editor and Senior Staff Writer Isabella Palit '24
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Senior Anshika Shekhar is working in a lab at UMass Chen Medical School for her Senior Independent Study Project (SISP). She is interning in Dr. Marian Walhout’s lab and is working with C. elegans, a type of roundworm commonly used in experimentation.
Asked about why she chose this for her SISP, Shekhar said, “The whole point of a SISP is to learn something new. I already had this internship since the summer but I decided to make it my SISP as things progressed.”
Shekhar’s goal of learning something new had already been accomplished, as she had learned many new techniques, including “RNA/DNA sequencing, blotting, and applying fundamentals to biological concepts like C. elegans and PTSD.”
The aim of her project is to “look at metabolites and see how that affects genotypic and phenotypic differences in C. elegans”, said Shekhar. To accomplish this, she presents the worms with different bacteria found in the gut microbiome and observes changes in the worms.
Shekhar spends about 12 hours each week at the lab, completing tasks like worm maintenance, mixing up cultures, making metabolites, and looking at the worms under a microscope.
Asked about the most surprising aspect of the experience, Shekhar said, “how long it takes to do a little amount of work.”
For planned outcomes, Shekhar intends to compete in science fairs or present at a conference.
As for advice for the current juniors, Shekhar said, “Senior year is a lot more free in what you can do and you can really utilize this with your SISP. Do something you’ve always wanted to do.”
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