Ten soon-to-be-sophomores at UC Riverside were recently selected by a panel of researchers to participate in an eight-week summer program that has the students characterize the citrus genome. In their experiments, the students are focusing especially on transposable elements – DNA elements that can multiply and change their location within an organism’s genome.
Discovered in the 1940s, for years transposable elements were thought to be unimportant and were called “junk DNA.” But now scientists recognize that these bits of DNA play vital roles in gene and genome evolution, and are important genetic tools for genome engineering.
The “Dynamic Genome Scholars,” as the ten rising sophomores are being called, use a combination of computational and molecular biology to do their analyses in the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Laboratory on campus.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for the selected students because the research program gives them exposure to research experience in the life sciences,” said Alex Cortez, an academic coordinator and instructor in the Dynamic Genome Program. “The students learn skills that prepare them well for professional careers in science.”
The research program, which is funded by a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, began June 30.
To qualify for the program, applicants had to have earned a “B” or higher in the Biology 20 course taken in Fall 2013, Winter 2014, or Spring 2014. They must also have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Each applicant also turned in a 400-word personal statement discussing how the Dynamic Genome Scholars program would benefit him or her. More than 30 freshmen applied for the ten available spots.
The ten Dynamic Genome Scholars are: Leslie Zulema Aranda, Leslie Bañuelos, Katherine Espinoza, Zoe Figueroa, Cameron Hatch, Steve Lu, Shivam Patel, Alyssa Rodriguez, Jenna Roper and Travis Wrightsman.
“Already, this program has been incredible for me,” Aranda said. “We are doing the experiments ourselves, taking measurements and seeing the results. It’s very hands-on. I have friends who have taken regular biology labs, and they don’t do half the things we’re doing.”
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