Crop resilience for climate changeAs a research assistant at the USDA-ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, I conducted potassium limitation crop stress experiments for use in Africa (funded by USAID). I designed, implemented, and validated new methodology for determining leaf area. I collected plant biomass and analyzed nutrient composition with nitrate reduction. I trained and mentored three undergraduate researchers in analytical and experimental methods.
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Lymphoma immunotherapy validationAt the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT) at Baylor College of Medicine I tested the efficacy of translational cancer therapies for lymphomas utilizing viral antigen-targeting. I validated cell therapies using immunofluorescent, immunological, and Cr51-release assays. This required mad pipetting skills, lots of ethanol, and occasional donation of my blood cells.
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Circadian-regulated herbivory defense in plantsAs an undergraduate at Rice University, I worked with Dr. Danielle Goodspeed and Dr. Michael Covington. I learned molecular biology techniques for cloning transgenic plants in Arabidopsis thaliana. I tested new methods for seedling-seedling signaling based on ecotype diversity. I ran and validated novel experiments comparing effects of herbivory on plants to circadian traits.
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