Undergraduate students talk about their research experiences in Bio 200/500 labs.
Irene Hamlin on Budge Lab

Irene Hamlin with mentor Philip Budge at the undergraduate research symposium
In the Budge Lab we focus on the eradication of lymphatic filariasis (LF) which is a neglected tropical disease caused by the Wuchereria bancrofti worm endemic in Western and Central Africa.
Kevin Yin on Rentschler Lab

Kevin Yin presenting his research poster
In the Rentschler lab, we aim to address heart disease by looking at how developmental pathways and gene regulation networks are associated with various heart diseases.
Mitchell Grinwald on Chheda Lab

Mitchell Grinwald
The Chheda Lab is primarily interested in identifying and characterizing the genetic and epigenetic events which induce and maintain tumors. The lab focuses on glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and aggressive brain tumor.
Maya Dutta on Olsen Lab

Maya Dutta working on clover research in the Olsen Lab
In the Olsen Lab, we aim to understand the genetic basis of evolution in plants. We are specifically interested in understanding how genetic variation within a species is shaped by natural selection, population history, and other various evolutionary forces.
Samuel Kim on Kummer Lab

Samuel Kim
Though I originally arrived at WashU set on attending medical school, my experience in the Kummer lab through Bio 500 and the interactions with my professors and valued mentors have led me to reconsider. I am grateful to have realized that research is a stimulating process of continual growth that I want to pursue as a career, and I am hopeful for the findings that our generation of neuroscientists will discover about the complex organ that makes us human.
Benjamin French on Elgin Lab

Benjamin French
During my time in the Elgin lab, I have primarily been responsible for the computational analyses. I have participated in the analysis and correction of the gene models submitted by GEP students and used these gene models to identify the transcription start sites of fourth chromosome genes in several Drosophila species.
Hannah White on Perlmutter Lab

Hannah White
Joel Perlmutter’s lab has many different projects, most of which are focused on the development of new PET radiotracers for Parkinson disease. My project in the lab is to study a non-human primate model of Parkinson disease, and the effects of a new drug, Carboxyfullerene (C3), on neurotransmitter levels and dopaminergic cells in different regions of the brain. I do this with the in-vitro measures high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Tyrosine Hydroxylase staining on brain tissue.