Phoebe Garcia Email and Phone Number

During the spring semester of 2019, I conducted research in physics under Dr. Michael Fogle in Auburn University's Department of Physics. The focus of my work was modeling a recoil ion momentum spectrometer using the program SIMION. To accomplish this, I had to further educate myself on the topic of electromagnetism beyond what I had learned in my classes. Particularly, I had to learn more about the process of calculating complex electromagnetic fields. The program SIMION solves the Laplace equation for particularly complicated fields and was utilized in my research as a tool to calculate ion trajectories and time of flight.The model I designed will be used for future study of molecular collisional ionization.

The Bacteriology and Mycology Lab at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine is responsible for diagnostic and susceptibility testing of suspected pathogenic species taken from animal patients in Auburn and throughout the United States. As a lab assistant, I was responsible for culturing bacteria and fungi from admitted specimens (tissue biopsies, fluids, surgical implants, etc.) taken from patients, running biochemical tests for diagnostic purposes, and carrying out susceptibility tests. I performed all of these tasks for over 2,000 clinical cases in the two years I worked in the lab. Some specific areas of the clinical microbiology process I gained extensive training and practice in are:● Aseptic technique● Biochemical testing● Antimicrobial gradient and disk diffusion tests for susceptibility● VITEK2 operation● Diagnostic practices for necropsies● Exposure to unusual and fastidious speciesIn addition, this job gave me professional experience working in an established lab. I came to appreciate that, in order to provide the best diagnostic services to our patients, my time must be used efficiently and resources could not be wasted. The clinical and financial consequences of careless work were unacceptable in this lab. This ingrained in me a discipline that has been and will continue to be a great asset in all my endeavors.

During the spring of 2018, I executed research in microbiology under Dr. Paul Cobine in Auburn University's Department of Biological Sciences. The focus of the research was on copper transporting proteins located in the mitochondrial membrane, with the goal of determining the primary transporter.Sixteen different mitochondrial copper transporting protein encoding genes from 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦 were targeted for this research. DNA recombination was performed using these genes and the phenotypes of the mutant strains of 𝘚. 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘦 were analyzed. Techniques involved in this process included gel electrophoresis, PCR, and spot assays.