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Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology More Information A Day in the Life of an Undergraduate in the Harvell LabThe Harvell lab, located in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is focused on studying the form, function and evolution of marine invertebrate defenses against their predators and competitors. Particularly, research conducted in our lab revolves around the disease aspergillosis and the interaction between the affected corals, sea fans, and the pathogen, a terrestrial fungus.I am investigating the nutrient limitation and nitrogen source preference of the pathogen of aspergillosis, Aspergillus sydowii. Nutrient levels in coastal waters are increasing around the world; thus, it is crucial to know whether these elevated concentrations of nitrogen are driving aspergillosis. My experiments involve making agarous plates of various compositions, growing fungal colonies and then analyzing their growth and tissue. One piece of machinery that I use frequently is the autoclave. It uses high temperature and pressure to sterilize the media before I pour it to make plates. Labs use the autoclave to sterilize liquids, glassware and other tools, and even garbage. I am also fortunate to be able to use the Cornell's stable isotope laboratory, COIL. Each nitrogen source I use, nitrate and nitrogen in the sea fans, has a different ratio of the isotopes of nitrogen, a significantly different isotopic signature. When the fungus grows on plates containing just nitrate, the fungal tissue will have the same nitrogen isotope signature as nitrate. When the fungus grows on plates containing nitrogen from just the sea fans, the resulting tissue's signature resembles the nitrogen isotope signature of the sea fans. I am interested in the signature of the fungal tissue after it grows on mixed source plates, ones that contain both nitrate and sea fan nitrogen. COIL analyzes the dried tissue samples with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. I first contacted Dr. Harvell about working in her lab when she guest-lectured for my chemical ecology class over a year ago. She and my dad both have taught at Cornell's Shoals Marine Lab, so we had already been introduced several times. Although the personal connection helped, I made sure to be assertive and to consistently demonstrate my desire to conduct research in her lab. For the first month in the Harvell lab, I was the assistant of one of the Ph.D. candidates. I helped her with her experiments and also performed basic lab chores (washing glassware etc.). However, I was not satisfied; I wanted to perform my own experiments! At the end of the spring semester, I met with Dr. Harvell and expressed my desire to design and conduct an independent project. I worked with her and two graduate students to develop my project, and I spent the entire summer working on it part-time. Since then, I have stayed involved in the lab and am continuing my experiments, working towards an honors thesis. If you are an independent worker, the Harvell lab is the place for you. The lab members are busy during the school year, and most are conducting fieldwork in the summer, so knowing exactly what you are doing and being able to solve problems by yourself is a must. While one-on-one time may be hard to come by, the time that you do receive is of high quality and well worth the wait! Everyone in the lab is extremely helpful and friendly. My advice: When you first join any lab, you are going to be stuck doing menial tasks. It may be boring, but stick with it. Demonstrate your reliability and work ethic. Talk with the graduate students, and learn about their projects. Do not be afraid to ask for more responsibility and the opportunity to conduct your own research. |