Quantitative Environmental Microbiology Lab- Prepared buffer solutions, conducted DNA extraction, and measured DNA concentration using both fluorometric and spectrophotometric methods- Executed dPCR analysis to quantify antibiotic resistance genes from 60 passive water samplers via Qiacuity and AbsoluteQ- Performed comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of 38 environmental samples using MinION 16S rRNA sequencing, with data processed through QIIME2 and quality filtered via Chopper

Wildlife Toxicology Lab- Tested the effects of BPA and BPS breakdown compounds in chicken liver samples through RNA extraction, cDNA and qPCR - Developed a user-interface for non-coders to easily upload and run statistical tests on lab data using tidyverse and R shiny - Generated publication-quality heatmaps and data visualizations using the ggplot2 package for inclusion in research papers

Plant Pathology Lab- Phylogenetic trees were created with MEGA X and referencing NCBI- Conducted metagenomic analysis of viruses using Virtool and Geneious Prime- Designed Venn diagrams and bar graphs using R, Word, and ExcelPublication: Smadi M, Lee E, Phelan J, Wang A, Bilodeau GJ, Pernal SF, Guarna MM, Rott M and Griffiths JS (2024). Plant virus diversity in bee and pollen samples from apple (Malus domestica) and sweet cherry (Prunus avium) agroecosystems. Frontiers, Plant Sci. 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1335281Vansia, R., Smadi, M., Phelan, J., Wang, A., Bilodeau, G. J., Pernal, S. F., Guarna, M. M., Rott, M., & Griffiths, J. S. (2024). Viral Diversity in Mixed Tree Fruit Production Systems Determined through Bee-Mediated Pollen Collection. Viruses, 16(10), 1614–1614. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16101614Government of Canada article: https://science.gc.ca/site/science/en/blogs/cultivating-science/bees-our-unparalleled-allies-detecting-viruses-fruit-trees

Lipid Enzyme Discovery Lab- Aided a lab member through genotyping and DNA extraction with their research thesis (murine model Barth syndrome)

Mucosal Immunity Lab- Assisted researchers in performing laboratory work (ie. PCRs, cell cultures, MPO assays, ELISAs, fine tissue/animal analysis, homogenization) for gastroenterology-related projects

- Planned collaboration events by effectively communicating with the club president and marketing team to increase engagement- Created a motivating atmosphere by interacting with the new members maintaining a positive attitude- Recruited, corresponded and facilitated the marketing team

- Greeted customers with professionalism and courtesy upon arrival to create a welcoming atmosphere- Prepared all patient prescriptions by retrieving, counting, pouring, weighing, and measuring pharmaceutical ingredients to meet consumers’ needs- Restocked shelves by arranging pharmaceutical shipments in alphabetical order to optimize efficiency within the workspace