While I am now in the University Exploration program, I began this year in Molecular Genetics, and I have greatly enjoyed my biology course. In my biology class, Biology 1114H, Ecology and Evolution, we have been conducting detailed research on fungal endophytes, which live inside of plants and are in symbiotic relationships with the plants. My lab partner, Megan Coan, and I have been exploring the differences in the endophyte species found in leaves and stem of the Eastern Cottonwood tree and the American Basswood tree to see if there might be a correlation between endophyte species and medicinal properties in plants, since American Basswood has applications in medicine, whereas Eastern Cottonwood does not. I have attached the abstract to the paper we wrote as an artifact. This study helped me understand the scientific process and the applications of it to the modern world. Fungal Endophytes in Tilia americana and Populus deltoides-1d0631o