Density, genetics or both?
Kaitlyn Faries studies raccoon disease transmission
Year in school:
senior
Major:
biology
Hometown:
St. Charles, Mo.
Raccoons, typically solitary animals, tend to gather because of increasing human population. This gathering might be contributing to the transmission of diseases and parasites, but genetics could also play a role. Kaitlyn Faries delved into the question in her undergraduate research.
Faries first learned about undergraduate research opportunities during an incoming freshman tour. After volunteering in a DNA extraction lab for a year, Faries received a Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (LS UROP) grant. Faries says the opportunity for undergraduate research played a major role in her choice to attend Mizzou.
Q-and-A
What has your experience with faculty mentors been like? What have you learned?
Lori Eggert, biologist, is a spectacular mentor. She is not only interested in helping me with my research project, but she also helped me to apply for scholarships and look at graduate school options.
Have you published any work or made any presentations?
The first presentation I did was the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum in the spring of 2006. It was a hectic but constructive experience because I learned how to design a poster and present it, and I especially enjoyed looking at the research that other undergraduates did. It really shows how Mizzou supports undergraduate students and their involvement in research.
When you heard the word “research” before college, what did it mean to you? Has that meaning changed now?
The idea of research before college seemed very foreign and unattainable; it was something that professors in white lab coats did. Now I realize that I can contribute to research and am capable of doing my own.
Do you have any highlights from your research experience — or anything you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise?
I think the highlight of my research experience is that before I graduate, my work will likely be published in a peer-reviewed journal. To know that my research is meaningful and that other scientists can use it to discover new things is a great feeling.
Do you have any advice for other students interested in research?
I think my advice to students interested in research would be to get involved early, start volunteering in a lab and get to know your mentor. All these things help you to gain experience and eventually can lead to you working on a project of your own.
Related Work
Genetic relatedness of artificially aggregating raccoons (Procyon lotor). Presented at the 2006 Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum.