Level Up: Animal Developmental Biology Lab Assistant

We are looking for a student to assist in making 3D printed embryo models for use in the Biology 313 lab. The lab assistant will support the delivery of lab courses in the department of Biological Sciences under the guidance of the course lab instructor. The lab assistant will develop an appreciation for time management, organization and multi tasking.

Phylogenic Tree Construction of Mesoamerican Orchids

Globally there has been a steady decline in biodiversity resulting from multiple factors. Some estimates suggest that upward of one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction. The family Orchidaceae (orchids) is one of the largest families of flowering plants which are threatened by climate change, agricultural expansion, urbanization, over harvesting and other factors necessitating the implementation of conservation strategies. To implement an effective conservation approach, one must be able to unambiguously identify the species at the center of the effort. For many species of orchid this is difficult to achieve based on morphological features, necessitating alternative approaches. DNA barcoding is a molecular method for identification of individuals, ideally, to the species level. The current project involves the analysis of DNA sequences from the mat K gene from species of two Mesoamerican genra of orchids ( Masdevallia and Dracula ) to assess the utility of the mat K gene sequence as a DNA barcode to identify orchid species from these two threatened genra. 

Franklin's Ground Squirrel DNA project

The goal of this project is to develop genetic resources for Franklin’s ground squirrels. Franklin’s ground squirrels are a native species in Alberta. While not currently listed under the Species At Risk Act (SARA) observational evidence from naturalists indicates that this species has experienced recent declines in abundance. Working collaboration with Dr. Jessica Haines who will be leading field work to assess the current distribution of the species in the province, we will be developing a new set of genetic markers that can help estimate current genetic diversity as well as past population sizes.

BIOL 421 course development

We would like to re-design our BIOL 421 course (Techniques in Molecular and Cellular Biology) to improve our students' learning experience by incorporating the use of a positive control into student projects. The ability to observe positive results, even in more challenging projects, will significantly benefit students in the course, but the implementation will require the optimization of time and resources.