Biology Department
Kenn Andersen
2011 Vaughan Award Recipient
Dr. Edward's lab studies the way that mosquitoes regulate their life cycle. Even though mosquitoes are very important carriers of human diseases, very little is actually known about exactly how they control basic aspects of their biology, like digesting the blood they suck from people and producing eggs. One of the main players in controlling the mosquito life cycle is a hormone called Juvenile Hormone. It is produced in a tiny gland at exactly the right times of development, but nobody really knows how the mosquito lets this gland know exactly when it should be making the hormone. We are looking at specific gene genes that we know are "turned on" in a way that allows the mosquito to make the hormone and we hope that eventually this will may allow us to develop new techniques to control disease transmission by mosquitoes. I was very excited to be able to work in the lab this summer and will be continuing this work during the academic year as an independent research project.
Jenna Kotak
2011 Vaughan Recipient
My research focuses on how chromatin modifications affect gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. I study the histone acetyltransferase GCN5, which is an enzyme that acetylates chromatin, and how mutations of that enzyme can change the structures of the plant. In particular, I study the mutant patterning of trichomes, which are small single cell structures on leaf surfaces. By comparing mutant and normal trichomes, we can gain information about what trichome development genes GCN5 interacts with and how that process is achieved. In the future I hope to attend graduate school and pursue my interests in molecular biology and genetics.
Kaitlyn Ryan
2011 Shankweiler Award Recipient
My education at Muhlenberg consistently challenged and encouraged me to think critically. Within the Biology Department, every professor is caring, committed to their students, and teach valuable courses that stress independent research projects and the analysis of primary literature. These courses, along with my involvement in a molecular biology lab, were experiences at Muhlenberg that have given me a passion for the sciences and important academic skills I will continue to use as I pursue a career in medicine.