SURF Mentoring

Potential projects/topics: One of the main research topics in my lab is the study of bacteria to bacteria interactions mediated by delivery of toxins. The undergrads will be work in a project identifying are are the requirements for these bacterial interactions. Specifically, the students would test different bacterial mutants, previously constructed, in competition experiments between two different bacterial genotypes. These experiments allow the identification of genes required for bacteria to bacteria interactions in microbial community models. Other experiments would include the characterization of the mutants in growth curves and basic molecular biology methods such as PCR. We have been successful integrating undergrads with this experimental approach. It allows the students to have a testable hypothesis and it gives them a sense of accomplishment by resulting in a clear outcome.

Potential skills gained: General microbiology, culture methods, bacterial isolation, moelcular biology, PCR, gel electrophoresis, data analysis, statistics, and graphic visualization of data

Required qualifications or skills: Entry level biology courses

Direct mentor: Post-doctorate, Other Research Associate