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Caitlin Hyland '15

Creating a Model for the Neurological Disease PCCA 2, in Drosophila melanogaster

Major/minor: Biology Major, Environmental Science Minor
Hometown: East Stroudsburg, PA
Project mentor: Dr. Christopher Jones

Project Details:

1. Briefly describe your SOAR project.
   My project was to recreate the same mutation that was found in patients with the neurological disease called PCCA 2  in fruit flies.
    
2. What motivated you to participate in SOAR? 
   I hope to get a job doing biological research after graduation, and this project was a great way to gain valuable research experience.
    
3. What are the results of your work on this project? 
   My project is not finished yet; therefore we do not have any absolute results; we are working on the best way to design a piece of DNA that will get injected into fly embryos and, ultimately, result in the mutation of the flies.
    
4. What are your personal takeaways from the project? And do you plan to continue work on this project after SOAR? 
   I am thankful for the experiences I gained in biological research and the sense of community that was formed with the other biology SOAR students. I do plan on continuing work on this project after SOAR.

Biographical Information:

1. What clubs/sports/activities/community service are you involved in? 
   I work in the biology department’s greenhouse and animal facility, and I am a member of TriBeta, the biology honor society.
    
2. Have you received any awards/recognitions here? 
   I have been accepted into the Honors program.
    
3. Briefly, what are your future plans and career goals? 
   I will pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology with the hopes of working as a geneticist.