Tag: Biology

Spider genetics – silk and circadian (Nadia Ayoub)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Research students have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing work on spider silk or circadian rhythms. For spider silk, the focus of 2026 will be to analyze and publish the results of 8 years of data on the protein composition and material properties of sticky prey capture silks. For circadian genetics, most work will involve working with material from animals that were subject to dissections over 24 hours of either a light-dark cycle or constant darkness. This includes isolating RNA, preparing the RNA for high-throughput sequencing, using the sequencing results to estimate expression levels, and identifying genes that cycle throughout the day. There are also options to work with live spiders on behavioral analysis, or to explore evolutionary analysis of circadian behaviors.

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Prerequisites

Students should have an interest in organisms, genetics, or evolution, and a willingness to learn new skills. Experience with programming or statistical tools would be a strong plus.

Special Comments

I strongly encourage new students to take an independent study in the Winter before summer research.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Nadia Ayoub (email: ayoubn@wlu.edu)

What does that gene do? Using genetics and bioinformatics to reveal the function of an uncharacterized gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Leah Lanier)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Despite the vast amount of knowledge that has recently come about due to advances in DNA sequencing and other genetic techniques, there are still genes whose functions remain uncharacterized. Dr. Whitworth’s lab has begun bioinformatics work on one such gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a eukaryotic microbe that closely models human cells. This summer our goal is to work towards characterizing the cellular function of this gene through genetic tools including a synthetic-lethal screen. Students will learn techniques including microbiological culturing of yeast and bacteria, PCR, and cloning.

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Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Special Comments

At this time I do not plan to have students take a course in Winter or Spring 2026.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Leah Lanier (email: lanierl@wlu.edu)

Mitochondrial genetics of Virginia’s Freshwater Crayfish (Paul Cabe)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Freshwater crayfish are ecologically important species found on nearly all continents. The world hotspot of species diversity is in SE North America. Although hundreds of species are known, many species remain to be described scientifically, hindering research and preventing effective conservation efforts. My lab works to survey, identify and classify Virginia crayfish populations using genetic tools; this includes contributing to efforts to describe new species. We produce and use DNA sequence data, primarily from the mitochondrial genome. Students will experience field work, and learn common DNA techniques like DNA extraction, PCR, gels, DNA sequencing and DNA sequence analysis.

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Prerequisites

Simple lab skills desirable (from Intro Bio or Genetics labs). Good attitude during outdoor field work! (sampling streams)

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Day trips by van to SW Virginia (and other nearby locations), with possibility of one or two nights camping during field trips. All within Virginia.)

Contact Information: Paul Cabe (email: cabep@wlu.edu)

Impacts of stress on Marine Invert Microbiomes (Alicia Reigel)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

The Reigel Lab is looking for 1-2 students to join our research team in Summer 2025. My research examines the impacts of human-induced stressors on marine invertebrates and their associated microbial symbionts (i.e., the holobiont). Currently, we are using oysters as experimental models because they are ecologically and economically important to the Eastern seaboard and they afford us many opportunities to collaborate with local non-profits and researchers at other Virginia-based universities. We are exploring the impacts of stress on oyster holobionts via comparative studies of wild and hatchery-raised oysters and aquarium-based stress experiments. Projects may include techniques associated with genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and culturing of oyster-associated microbes to assess their functional capabilities. While I have broad research questions and established experimental systems, there are many interesting questions and methodologies that can be used to address these questions. Thus, there is room for student researchers in my lab to work directly with me to devise a research project that they are interested in and feel ownership over.

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Prerequisites

There are no specific requirements, but students should be interested in marine microbial ecology, be willing to learn new skills, and to work independently and with a team as necessary. I have a preference for students who are willing to commit to continuing research (via BIOL 421 or 422 directed research credits) in my lab during the academic year (2025-2026) as this allows us to build on work done during the summer, produce publishable manuscripts, and consider attending an appropriate scientific conference to present the completed research.

Special Comments

Students must be available for regular lab meetings (1-2 per month) during Winter term so that we can work together to develop and define project specifics and deliverables. There may also be some training on research techniques during the Winter Term. All meeting times will be determined after our SRS team membership is finalized to ensure everyone can attend.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: This travel is all tentative and depends on the specific project we work together to devise. Travel may include trips to the Virginia coast to meet with collaborators, visit the oyster hatchery, etc. There will be no travel outside of Virginia.)

Contact Information: Alicia Reigel (email: areigel@wlu.edu)