Effect of Maternal Experience in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Pamela Najm ’27

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Wightman

What is the broader impact of your summer research? That is, why should the world care about your work?

The big “why” is looking at nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and seeing how they react to osmotic stress, arrest, and development through the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway, which aids more understanding about human development. My project specifically focused on maternal experience in Caenorhabditis elegans, which involved looking at the progeny of next generations and seeing if the C. elegans were more likely to perihatch arrest or continue development in the next offspring. As well, as if the maternal experience of arresting affected the next generation of nematodes. 

What has summer research taught you about yourself and the field that you researched and/or studied?

During the span of four weeks, I’ve learned how to step out of my comfort zone and work with equipment I have never used or seen before. I was able to work independently and perform standard procedures which helped me understand more about genetic analysis. I’ve gained a lot of hands-on experience such as learning how to pick nematodes under a dissecting microscope, practicing with pipettes, and even inoculating overnight cultures. The use of C. elegans as a model organism has helped me bridge and connect similarities between animal and human development. This was my first experience in a research setting, and I can’t wait to see what knowledge and findings await in the near future!

What advice would you give to students considering a future research opportunity similar to the one you participated in?

If you are considering performing research, I would say to definitely go for it because it is a unique way to challenge yourself while also finding out your interests and passions. Research allows you to answer questions that haven’t been solved yet and helps you understand more about a specific topic you may be focusing on!