i spent 3 years of my undergraduate college summers learning how to make yeast retarded.
for you science nerds i am interested in genes, chromosomes, and genomes: how they contribute to the traits of an organism, how they are transmitted during cell division, and how they can change from generation to generation.
my research made use of the brewer's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model eukaryotic organism.
i was attempting to understand how a common mistake in cell division--resulting in an extra chromosome--affects phenotype, genome stability, and ultimately, fitness.
i used a variety of methods, including recombinant DNA techniques, microbial genetics, and whole-genome microarrays.
i know.
i'm a huge nerd.
instead of wakeboarding and working on my tan, i worked on making yeast retarded.
hopefully it pays off :)
http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=06b36600854dd110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=002392d79e557110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD
