Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Victor Canta-Gallo Rose Hills

Stress-Activated Transposable Elements in Mimulus guttatus

This project focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of transposable elements (TEs) within monkey flowers. Previously, TEs were thought to be virus-like, parasitic parts of genomes. With the use of supercomputers, we will compare the genomes of many monkey flower genome samples to a reference genome to identify variation that suggests adaptation. Our work will define the role of TEs more clearly, as many are associated with mutations and only arise during specific conditions, which suggests a form of adaptation.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to be a part of research during summer! This experience will definitely allow me to deepen my skillset as well as form part of a promising project that I wouldn't be able to assist without your support.