Aquatic Reptile Biology Project
In honors biology during autumn of my sophomore year, a fellow classmate and I conducted a research project where we explored adaptive innovations that would allow a species of aquatic reptile to survive in the waters off of the Washington State coastline. We ended up creating our own fictional species - X. oparajacobiticus.
During the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction many species, including aquatic reptiles, near the current Gulf Cost, were decimated. However, a small population of our fictional species in the waters outside the Gulf Coast survived the extinction. They ended up near the Washington State coastline and experienced a severe bottle neck, putting them at severe risk of inbreeding depression. My partner and I came up with several adaptations that would allow X. oparajacobiticus to survive.
Honors Biology Presentation
During winter quarter of sophomore year, a friend and I had similar interests in drug delivery and gene therapy. As a result, we partnered up for an honors biology project. In the project, we created a presentation where we applied current principles and tools of drug delivery and gene therapy to our own chosen case study. We looked at a type of very lethal cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) and came up with ways to treat it (palliathy) and prevent it (prophylaxis). This project was highly relevant, as my research interests center around drug delivery. I was also able to speak to how my research project at the time was relevant to our case study.