It has been a very busy five weeks so far in our lab.

The students and I are all working on different projects to explore the role of proteins in the Nrf family during development. In addition, I am also working on a population genetics project involving the Asian Shore Crab, a recent invader to the northeast coast.

Everyone in lab is using different techniques, which allows us to explore Nrf proteins on the DNA, RNA, protein, and cellular level. Students have become well versed in their own projects as well as lab management, safety, and animal care. It has been exciting to see how far they have come in the last five weeks and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the next four. In addition to lab work, they have also presented several times each at lab meeting on an overview of their project, the techniques involved in answering the questions surrounding their project, and finally running journal club—utilizing a paper that highlights some important background information on their project. All of this preparation should set them up for their senior theses that they will start in September.

As for me, I have a busy rest of my summer, trying to finish up several projects, send samples out for high-throughput sequencing, and prepare for the new semester. In August I will be attending the Gordon Conference on Cellular Mechanisms of Toxicity and also teaching a confocal course to Southern Maine Community College faculty and students.

Until next time!