This in-class research project helped to open my eyes to the incredible amount of work that goes into every single research inquiry. For this project, we were given information about endophytes, which are microorganisms that inhabit internal plant tissues. These endophytes are typically seen to have a mutualistic relationship with the plant, meaning that both the endophytes and the plant benefit from the relationship. Given minimal information, we were required to come up with a testable research question involving endophytes. My partner and I decided to explore how the endophyte diversity of a plant would be affected when the plant was introduced to salt stress. We worked throughout the semester to run the experiment, and collect as much data as we could with the resources provided. We were able to gather data using microscopy, PCR and gel electrophoresis, and several bioassays. We also drew upon literature to help us make predictions and consider why we had the outcomes that we did. Once all of the data had been collected, we created a poster to present at a mini forum. The forum consisted of several Biology classes presenting their original research to various faculty members. My partner and I were able to present to many professors, as well as our TA. This was a great learning opportunity for me, as I hope to present research at forums, such as the Denman Forum, in the near future.
This is the final product of the poster that we presented. The poster gives a summary of the most important points of the study.