How/Why Research? I was lucky enough to get involved in research through a mentorship program run by my high school. It was absolutely amazing being able to apply my knowledge to real world contexts. Previously, I had focused on hospital epidemiology as a whole, but when I came to UNC, I decided I wanted to focus on the biology behind infections. With that in mind, I emailed several labs early in my freshman year whose areas of study interested me and heard back from my current PI. After being invited to an interview, I was placed on a project with a post-doc as my mentor and have assisted with her research since.
Research Experience: Phase variation is a mechanism that allows bacteria to produce phenotypic heterogeneity through an invertible ON/OFF switch upstream of a gene. At the Tamayo lab, I have worked to characterize two phase variable genes, pdcB and pdcC, and the effect of these switches on phenotypes like swim motility and biofilm formation. This largely involves work at the lab bench like PCR, transformation and conjugation, and swim/surface motility assays. I have been able to learn about a variety of research methodology and problem solve through tricky experiments. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to develop my research communication skills by contributing to a paper and presenting at the Celebration of Undergraduate Research.
Student Organizations/Clubs: Carolina Science Olympiad, Out in STEM, Biostatistics Student Association
Also Happy to Chat about: Emailing Professors, Talking with Professors, Networking, Fitting Research into a Busy Schedule
Random Fun Fact: I’ve walked 500 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago!