Undergraduate Research Experience: Rabies in Vampire Bats

Over the course of my sophomore year, I have continued working the Carter Lab here at Ohio State. Specifically, I was given the opportunity to work on a project that is studying how rabies impacts vampire bat behavior. Every week, I went through about 5 hours of video footage of the vampire bats, collecting data about their behaviors and movement at certain intervals throughout the video. Over the course of the year, I spent over 100 hours scoring video. Additionally, I was asked by my PI to spend some time learning more about why this research is so important and then write a report about it. Over the course of a week this past semester, I watched TED talks and read articles and blog posts in order to learn about how rabies in vampire bats.Vampire bats pose a significant health risk to the people living in the areas where they are found. In general, the more that can be discovered about how rabies effects bats, the more that can be done to protect public health in those areas.

Undergraduate research has been a rewarding experience for me thus far. I’m so thankful that I was able to join a lab my freshman year. I have become more comfortable with my data collection skills and learned more about the process of getting research published. The specific project I have worked on still has a ways to go until publishing, but I look forward to being there along the journey. Additionally, I have found the topic of the research very interesting. I never thought I would work on a project that mixes ecology, my main interest, with public health. I am thankful that I was encouraged to write the report about the issue of rabies in vampire bats. It gave me a more well-rounded understanding of everything I was doing and contributing to. I am excited to continue in the lab as I finish my undergraduate career. I am hopeful that I will be able to continue to help on this project and possibly start a project of my own.

Common vampire

Photo by Dr. Gerry Carter

Statement of Action – Research Experience

With only two years left at Ohio State, time is quickly passing to make the most out of my undergraduate experience. With the pandemic adding a bump in the road, I still have lots that I want to accomplish. One of the biggest areas I want to do more in is undergraduate research. My freshmen year, I joined a research lab that studies behavioral ecology and social behavior. I am currently working on a project in which I collect data on vampire bat sickness behaviors. While I do enjoy the work that I have been able to do, I hope to have my own project soon. I hope to discuss potential projects with the principal investigator in the lab soon. The subject of the project I am currently working on is something I find interesting and would love to research further. Additionally, the lab I am apart of does field work in Panama. With the pandemic, they were unable to travel this past year but I am hopeful they will be able to return to their site next summer. I hope to gain field experience, too, and I plan on traveling with them if the opportunity is there.

My Second Year in Review

As my second year at Ohio State comes to an end, the recognition of being halfway done with my time here is startling, in a way. This past year was nothing like how I imagined my college experience. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio State allowed second-year students to live off campus, instead of in the residence halls. My roommates and I were able to find our own apartment and I have enjoyed being able to gain experience at being independent.

Additionally, almost all of my classes this past year were completely online. While not ideal, online learning was still able to provide me with enjoyable class experiences. This year’s online classes were easier to navigate, thanks to getting experience in the spring semester last year. Some of my favorite courses I took this past year were Classics 2220 (Classical Mythology) and EEOB 3310 (Evolution). Thankfully, I did have two classes, Physics 1200 and History of Art 2002, that provided some level of in-person learning. I looked forward to the days I would have in-person classes because the opportunity to be on campus made me feel more like an Ohio State student. I am hopeful that the classes I take in future semesters will get to go back to normal. I miss getting to be on campus everyday and being able to interact with other students.

With the pandemic improving, Ohio State began to allow clubs to meet again. I joined Parks and Recreation club my freshmen year, before we were sent home, but only got to attend one event. I was able to attend my first event with them this year in March. We stayed close to campus, walking along the Olentangy River Trail for the afternoon. It was nice to discover a green space close to campus and meet other members of the club. I look forward to the future events the club holds as the university returns to normal.

EEOB 3310 – A Review

During the spring 2021 semester, I took EEOB 3310 – Evolution. As an Evolution and Ecology major, this is one of the first classes I have taken dedicated to my major. Taking this class has been very affirming that I am taking the right path here at Ohio State. I look forward to taking more elective in the Evolution and Ecology major as I am sure they will be as educational and interesting.  Ohio State actually offers classes that teach about native Ohio species and I plan on taking them next year.

This class has taught me the fundamentals of evolution and has covered a variety of topics within the field. One of the modules I found most interesting covered cooperation and sociality. As an undergraduate in a research lab that studies social ecology, it was fascinating to learn about the evolutionary background of the topic. Additionally, the class involved a semester long writing project that encouraged students to use evolutionary concepts to solve an issue relating to a variety of species options. I was able to learn more about red wolves, a species native to the southeastern United States, and the efforts to conserve them. I had never heard of red wolves before this project but I have now taken an interest in them as their population is severely threatened with extinction.

Vision Statement

As I finish my second year at Ohio State, I have started thinking about what I want to do after I graduate in a couple more years. While I still haven’t established my “dream job” title, I have started to narrow my focus on what I want my career to look like. I have stayed involved in the research lab I joined my freshman year and I have really enjoyed learning about what life as an academic and a researcher looks like. In my own future, I would love to continue to be involved in research after I complete my undergraduate degree. I see going to graduate school as a way of doing this. Additionally, as I have searched for summer jobs and internships, I have been able to learn about what different organizations around the country do to protect wildlife. I can see myself working in the fields of wildlife ecology and conservation from the conversations I have been able to have with employers.

Abstract

For me, my ePortfolio serves as a way for me to capture what my experience at Ohio State has been like. It also provides a place for me to discuss my hopes and goals for my future after I graduate. On my ePortfolio, you’ll find posts that give an insight both about who I am and my thoughts about being an Ohio State student. I am fortunate for the opportunities that Ohio State has provided me and I am excited to share this part of my life.

Year In Review – Service Experience

During my first semester at Ohio State I joined a service group on campus called Girls in Science and volunteered with them throughout the year. Girls in Science runs an after school science club for fifth grade girls at Weinland Park Elementary School here in Columbus. Each time we visited, we would give the girls a short presentation about a notable female scientist and then help them run their own experiment to teach them about a science topic.

I really enjoyed being able to serve with Girls in Science this past year and I plan on continuing with the group in my coming years at Ohio State. It is so rewarding to see these young girls be so excited about science and other female scientists. I partially attribute my love and interest in science today to my own experience in an after-school science club when I was in the sixth grade. Getting to do science experiments after school with my friends was always the highlight of my week and I feel very lucky that I am able to provide a similar experience for these girls.

Semester In Review: Autumn 2019

At the very beginning of the semester, before the semester even really began, I was worried about what my life here at Ohio State would look like. I wondered if I would like my classes and if I would succeed in them. I wondered what opportunities I would have and who all I would meet. Now, almost a full semester later, I love being here at Ohio State. While my classes have been difficult at times, I feel as though I have truly grown in my knowledge and am excited to continue in my learning this spring. I have also had a lot of fun being apart of Biological Sciences Scholars. Having the opportunity to volunteer, meet new people and learn about different programs and research at Ohio State has added a lot to my college experience. If I had not joined this Scholars group I think that I would not have felt as comfortable and included on campus as I do today. It has really helped make such a big school feel smaller. I’m excited for the opportunities that I will get to have through Biological Sciences Scholars this spring.

Senior Year Biotechnology Capstone

During my junior and senior years of high school, I was fortunate enough to be apart of a lab-based biotechnology course. Being in this class meant two year of working with my classmates to develop lab procedures, run those labs and write lab reports to discuss the results of the experiment and the different ideas involved in the lab. Another aspect of this class was getting to develop and work on a capstone project our senior year. It was an extensive project that took most of the school year to work on and complete. It involved determining an idea and hypothesis, doing background research, designing a procedure, running the experiment, writing a paper and presenting our findings and results at a capstone competition. Being able to do this project was the reason I decided to apply to the biotechnology program as a sophomore. I had always wanted to be able to research and experiment with an original idea and see what I could learn from the experience.

I worked with a friend in the class and together we looked into horizontal gene transfer of photosynthetic genes between Synechocystis nigrescens (a species of freshwater algae) and Caenorhabditis elegans (a species of nematode). We were inspired by reading a paper about a species of photosynthetic sea slugs to make our project about the potential of other photosynthetic eukaryotes. The purpose of our capstone was to see if photosynthesis was possible in other eukaryotic species. For our experiment, we fed C. elegans with S. nigrescens over the course of a few days. We then put the nematodes through a starvation process to allow any photosynthetic genes to be expressed (which would become a food source for the nematodes). After this was over, both qualitative and quantitative data was taken to determine whether or not horizontal gene transfer of photosynthetic genes had taken place or not. In conclusion, we could not determine whether or not photosynthesis had taken place but we did determine that the C. elegans ate the algae which is not its preferred for source. Because of this, we determined that it was possible for horizontal gene transfer to occur but that further work would have to be done to know for sure.

After completing our project, we presented it at a biotechnology capstone competition for high school students. In the photo below, myself and my partner Megan are standing in front of our poster board that we presented to the judges and to other students and teachers at the competition. Our project earned second place in our category. I felt so proud of Megan and myself when we placed in our category. I was happy knowing that all of our hard work and all of the hours that we put into the project were being recognized.

Being apart of my school’s biotechnology program was the most rewarding experience of high school for me. I learned so many different skills that I have been able to apply not only to other science classes but to everyday life.  The two years of in lab experience also left me familiar and skilled in a variety of lab techniques which I know that I will be able to use going forward. Presenting my capstone forced me to learn how to talk about science in a way that any one could understand. I had to learn how to teach someone about the project, what it encompassed and what it meant. In the future, I would love to be able to work in research, both here at Ohio State and potentially in my future career. I believe that being apart of this program has prepared me to be successful in the environment of a research lab.