UROP: Does the lobster heart possess an intrinsic circadian clock?

The objective of this project was to determine the presence or absence of an intrinsic circadian clock in the heart of the H. americanus. Here, a lobster cardiac ganglion transcriptome was mined for the complement of proteins that compose a circadian clock. I worked in a dry lab using a series of freeware to analyze lobster transcriptome sequences to identify these key proteins. This project was my first in the lab and there was definite pressure to catch up with the rest of my teammates who had already been familiar with the work. In the end, it was very rewarding and I enjoyed both the work and UROP showcase, despite how nerve-wracking the experience was

Although presenting at the UROP Spring Showcase was the original goal, this project was a small piece of our lab’s larger objectives which in 2018 resulted in a publication in the journal of General and Comparative Endocrinology and a poster presentation at The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. My work with this project, the lab, and large data sets is what led me to choose computer science as a career to pursue when I decided to return to school. I learned valuable skills from the project work and showcase, skills that I continue to use in computer science when collaborating with others.