During the spring semester of 2010, I conducted a research experiment in Dr. Jason Collier's molecular science laboratory. My goal was to create an adenovirus which would repress a serine code in the genome, which could possibly also repress the gene coding for the autoimmune disorder of Type 1 Diabetes.
This provided my first experience with actual research benchwork. Through this, I learned to perform several invaluable skills, such as: mini-prepping, Polymerase Chain Reaction, gel electrophoresis, restriction digestion, and DNA ligation. I feel that this experience provided me with a completely different aspect of research than I obtained in the HEAL lab, expanding my knowledge of the process of scientific investigation.