My lab work includes:

• Using light microscopes to assign ant samples to their designated taxonomies with online physiology and picture guides

• Creating a labeling system for the ant specimens in Excel

• Keeping online records of lab meetings as needed

• Working on the ImportANTS of Ants outreach program (pictured above) - specifically, creating presentations on invasive species (including the Red Imported Fire Ant) and how we can prevent their spread

• Conducting DNA extractions on ant and soil samples

• Conducting PCR and gel electrophoresis

• Creating a website for the lab to chronicle everyone's projects and progress
   

I also contributed to two posters that were presented at UF's 2020 Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.  To learn more about the posters, please visit this link ("Microbial Composition in Two Ant Species Across a Geographic Region in Florida") and this link ("Are Ants Good Organisms to Teach K-12 Students About Invasive Species?").

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Please visit the IRIS Lab website to learn more about these posters and other research projects.