Jaelin Ammerall
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦?
I was attracted to the Seifert Scholar program because it allowed me the opportunity to conduct research throughout the summer and continue with my research project from the semester. Summer research allowed me to completely focus on my project without the other responsibilities present during the semester (classes, extracurricular activities, job, etc.)
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?
This summer, I conducted research with the amoeba Naegleria gruberi, which is a very close relative of the “brain-eating” amoeba Naegleria fowleri. In my research, I focused on gene editing and targeted the surfactant protein in N. gruberi through transfections. As my project progressed, the focus shifted to cloning, building a plasmid with extended homology arms, Puromycin resistance, and a promoter to transform into N. gruberi.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫?
The experience as a Seifert Scholar this summer has been invaluable. This summer has provided me the experience of being an independent researcher, where I decide on the focus of my project, the methods to achieve results, and any troubleshooting when I encounter issues and unexpected results.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?
This experience has provided me with the confirmation that I would enjoy scientific research as a career. Therefore, following graduation, I wish to continue with my education and attend graduate school, pursuing a PhD.