Slow and Steady: Science Takes Time
Since the beginning of the semester, we [some biology students and Father Nic Austriaco] have been working on two research projects with yeast. We are continuing with the work I wrote about last time, in which we are attempting to see how aneuploidy, or the possession of an incorrect number of chromosomes, affects programmed cell death in yeast. As a part of this project, we are still working to knock out the gene YCA1, which is responsible for yeast programmed cell death, from our aneuploid cells. This work has proven to be difficult despite multiple attempts under different conditions. Father Austriaco has been helping us work through the work, but progress has been slow.
Since I started doing research after freshman year, I have come to realize that research almost always seems to proceed slowly like this project, but I have also learned that even the frustrating times are a worthwhile learning experience. In addition to this research, Alexandra Chasse ’17 and I have just begun another project, in which we are attempting to force yeast to clump together using molecular biology. Doing so would, in a sense, make the yeast multicellular. To do so, we will introduce the gene encoding the human protein E-cadherin to our yeast. This protein helps hold human epithelial cells together, so the hope is that it will be able to hold yeast together in the same way. If this project is successful, we will examine any physiological changes in the yeast once they begin clumping.
In a few days, I will travel with Matthew Sanborn ’17 and students from other research labs at PC to the Eastern Colleges Science Conference (ECSC) at Niagara University to deliver an oral presentation about the research that our lab has been doing. I’m excited to get to give a presentation like this for the first time, but I still have some work to do on it before we leave. I’ll give on update on how the conference went once we return.
Until next time,
Stephen
