Story and photos by Logan Jackson
- Jennifer Boyd – junior biological sciences major
- Research Mentor: Pamela Brown, associate professor of biological sciences and the associate director of undergraduate research and experiential learning; affiliate faculty in the Honors College
Jennifer Boyd spent last summer gaining valuable research experiences through the Summer Research Exposure Program (SREP), which pairs first- and second-year undergraduates with faculty members to engage in mentored research and creative activities.
Her work earned her continued funding through the SREP+1 program during the following academic year.
“I honestly never thought I would be involved in research,” said Boyd, a junior biological sciences major. “I always thought it sounded cool, but it felt like something that was unattainable. Mizzou has helped me realize that it’s something that I am capable of.”
Boyd joined Pamela Brown’s research laboratory through SREP. Brown is an associate professor of biological sciences and the associate director of undergraduate research and experiential learning. She’s also affiliate faculty in the Honors College. While Boyd was able to begin her research in Brown’s lab, she also learned more about a potential next step in her research journey.
“I learned about the Cherng Summer Scholars program from one of my labmates, Alexandra Renoe, who was part of the program last summer,” Boyd said. “The program seemed really cool because she had the opportunity to do so much more with her work. She was part of an interesting class and was able to be part of these research forums. It seemed like there was a lot of professional development, which I was truly interested in.”
As a Cherng Summer Scholar, Boyd is researching the characterization and regulation of three specific beta-barrel proteins within Agrobacterium, a bacterium that can infect susceptible plants and genetically transform them. The three proteins are hypothesized to be upregulated when the ChvG-ChvI system, a two-component system required for the agrobacterium to invade hosts, is activated. Her project aims to see if that hypothesis is true.
Boyd is using two assays to conduct her research. Assays are lab tests or procedures used to measure, analyze or evaluate the presence, absence, concentration or biological activity of a specific substance.
“One of the assays is the β-Galactosidase assay, which is a reporter assay that indicates when a promoter is activated,” Boyd said. “The other is the NPN assay, which measures uptake into the cell membrane. It shows whether a membrane has been damaged, whether there’s been an increase in NPN inside the cell and whether the membrane is permeable.”
Boyd said she’s enjoying interacting with Brown more closely through the Cherng Summer Scholars program, a nine-week research or creative scholarship program for Mizzou students pursuing the Honors Certificate. The program is supported by a gift from Peggy and Andrew Cherng. It allows students to participate in individually designed projects under the mentorship of a Mizzou faculty member. Students also take part in a weekly seminar course and present their research findings during Mizzou Office of Undergraduate Research’s Summer Forum.
Boyd is also enjoying the independence that the program brings.
“Working by myself is where I feel like I’m at my best,” Boyd said. “However, it’s been really nice to be able to have discussions with Dr. Brown and my labmates. They’ve been able to provide me with some solid direction and advice that has been vital as I build my research portfolio.”