Developed a long read DNA extraction and sequencing protocol for Color's cancer panel using ONT adaptive sampling.

I prepare and organize materials for the general biology labs at Creighton University. These materials include: fruit fly colonies, agar plates, and nematodes among other things. I also assist with instructing students, particularly when students have questions about the lab.

I perform research in a Simulium (Black fly) genetics lab under the direction of Dr. Charles Brockhouse. Several species of Black flies are vectors for Onchocerciasis (river blindness) and are a pest in certain parts of the world. I am working on several projects within the lab. These projects include:1. A novel way to study metagenomics using black fly larvae.2. The identification of sex determination genes.3. The identification of differences in gene expression between pre and post oviposition flies.

I spent one month in Ghana on a research trip. The goals for the trip included the collection of Simulium flies/larvae for future research and to further collaboration with the CSIR Water Research Institute. For two weeks we travelled through the eastern region of Ghana. We collected and sorted pre and post-oviposition Simulium flies. The flies will be used to confirm differentially expressed genes between egg laying states. By genetically identifying oviposition type we hope to improve the analysis of Onchoceraisis transmission and the efficiency of oviposition identification. The last two weeks we networked with researchers at Water Research Institute in Accra, Ghana. I learned several techniques useful for black fly genetics and I assisted the institute with one of their projects. I performed PCRs on Simulium flies collected from sites in Burkina Faso and Mali. We used primers specific to Onchocerca larvae in order to confirm which towns possessed infected flies. Also, I attended guest lectures at the institute and gave a presentation on MinION sequencing to researchers in Accra.