I am currently a senior Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics major. I am also working on a degree in History. I joined Dr. Chang’s lab in the summer of 2005, where I spent much of my time helping to genotype various Arabidopsis double mutants. More recently I have begun work on a project of my own for an honors thesis, in which I am researching the expression patterns of two genes, RTE1 and RTE-HOMOLOG (RTH), involved in the ethylene response pathway in plants. Their functions are not fully understood, but determining their expression patterns is a crucial step in ultimately uncovering how they interact with each other and with other components of ethylene transduction.
I will be analyzing RTE gene expression by creating lines of Arabidopsis transformed with the gusA reporter gene attached to the promoter region of either RTE1 or RTH. The plants will be stained with X-Gluc, a substrate that yields a characteristic blue precipitate in the presence of GUS, the protein product of gusA. This technique provides easy visualization of gene expression. All major parts of the plant (seeds, seed pods, roots, stems, leaves, and flowers) will be stained at all major stages of development, which include the emergence of the hypocotyl and cotyledons, rosette leaf growth, inflorescence, and senescence.
Outside of lab, I serve as a presiding officer in the Student Honor Council, which promotes academic integrity on campus and adjudicates cases of potential violations of the Honor Code. I am also the Vice President of the fledgling Terrapin Divers Scuba Club.
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