Graduate Research
Currently, I am working to obtain my Masters of Science in Biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I am advised by Dr. Rachel Poretsky and conduct research in her Microbial Ecology lab. My team and I are part of a Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) project focused on detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples that have been collected around Illinois. Wastewater samples are an effective way to monitor COVID-19 positivity trends, since they are reflective of the entire population and can provide early warning of rising cases.
I spend my time in the lab working on a few different WBE related projects. One of my main responsibilities is assisting with sample collection at various Wastewater Treatment Plants, such as Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. I also have been working to compare the digital PCR data we obtain in our lab, to the quantitative PCR data that has been obtained on the same samples from another lab at UIC. This comparison of methods is important so we can compare our dPCR data to the data of other labs using qPCR as well as better analyze trends within the SARS-CoV-2 data.
Another interesting project I'm working on is piloting the Automate device from WeConnect. WeConnect is a French company that has created the Automate as a means to detect COVID-19 in Wastewater. Our current qPCR methods require the use of multiple machines and many steps over several hours. The goal of this device is to simplify all of that, by performing the concentration, elution and analysis all in one machine, in just 1.5 hours. We are the first lab in the United States to work with this device which makes this project very exciting. My goal is to run the same samples on the dPCR and the Automate and compare the results. I'm looking forward to getting this project off the ground and starting to analyze the data.
I spend my time in the lab working on a few different WBE related projects. One of my main responsibilities is assisting with sample collection at various Wastewater Treatment Plants, such as Stickney Water Reclamation Plant. I also have been working to compare the digital PCR data we obtain in our lab, to the quantitative PCR data that has been obtained on the same samples from another lab at UIC. This comparison of methods is important so we can compare our dPCR data to the data of other labs using qPCR as well as better analyze trends within the SARS-CoV-2 data.
Another interesting project I'm working on is piloting the Automate device from WeConnect. WeConnect is a French company that has created the Automate as a means to detect COVID-19 in Wastewater. Our current qPCR methods require the use of multiple machines and many steps over several hours. The goal of this device is to simplify all of that, by performing the concentration, elution and analysis all in one machine, in just 1.5 hours. We are the first lab in the United States to work with this device which makes this project very exciting. My goal is to run the same samples on the dPCR and the Automate and compare the results. I'm looking forward to getting this project off the ground and starting to analyze the data.
Undergraduate Research
While pursing my Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of Dayton, I performed research in Dr. Chelse Prather's Insect Ecology lab. I assisted with processing soil samples from a coastal tall-grass prairie in Texas. This project was working to determine how the invasive ant, Nylanderia fulva, affected prairies.