Usda-Ars Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research Unit Intern
Athens, Georgia, United States
- Researched Fusarium verticillioides, a mycotoxigenic fungus and pathogen of maize, to eliminate fumonisin contamination in pre-harvest maize and improve food safety and human and livestock health and welfare- Challenged F. verticillioides to increasing doses of pyrrocidines (secondary metabolite produced by the maize endophyte, Sarocladium zeae) to assess their ability to eliminate fungal growth and fumonisin production- Collaborated with an interdisciplinary team of professional researchers to conduct, conceptualize, and troubleshoot experiments surrounding fungal culturing, fumonisin production, and RNA extraction - Delivered oral presentation of my research findings to the TMRU Research Leader & Research Plant Pathologist - Selected to present my project at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' (AlChE) Undergraduate STEM 3-Minute Research Showcase for UGA- Developed professional literature review and scientific writing skills by composing a research paper describing the research background, rationale, methods, and results of my project- Performed general pipetting, fungal culturing, DNA and RNA isolation, PCR and RT-qPCR, bioinformatic analyses of DNA sequences, and pyrrocidine dose-response studies using a Bioscreen C- Completed 150+ hours of internship work that successfully met the Health Promotion (HESPA II) professional responsibilities, competencies, and sub-competencies (R/C/SCs)