- After COVID shut down Buknell’s campus during Spring Break in March 2020, several research projects were interrupted and, due to safety concerns about travel and medical access on a remote island, our planned Summer 2020 field season on Middleton Island was cancelled.
- Olivia ‘Liv’ George graduated in Spring 2020! We were so sad not to be able to celebrate her in person.
- Bucknell’s campus was open for in person (and hybrid) instruction in Fall 2020; the lab met regularly (masked and following social distancing protocols) and research continued, albeit a bit more slowly than usual.
- Sierra Pete and Taiba Khan learned to use BORIS software and analyzed ~34 hours of kittiwake chick behavior.
- Sierra submitted an abstract for the 2021 virtual SICB conference.
- Steph Lin taught Eadaoin Kelly and Verona Hendrick (our newest lab members) how to do DNA extractions, PCR & gel electrophoresis for genetic sexing of kittiwake chicks, and is currently optimizing RNA extractions.
- Chase Hoehn finished validating and evaluating glucose assays from 2019 kittiwake plasma samples and is learning RNA extraction with Steph; in the Spring they will use real-time qPCR to quantify gene expression in chicken tissues from an experiment involving embryonic exposure to an aromatase inhibitor.
- Paige Caine finished some real-time qPCR assays that were suspended when campus shut down last Spring, and is validating qPCR primers to see if she can get published chicken primers working in some rhinoceros auklet RNA samples, to look at effects on dietary restriction on expression of metabolic genes.
In addition to ongoing research projects, this year our lab has placed an emphasis on reading and discussing student-selected papers about inequities in STEM. Through the acknowledgement of these injustices we hope to make ourselves and those we interact with more aware of these problems, and make meaningful changes in our current and future professional and personal lives.