Summary

The Benham-Pyle Laboratory in the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center is looking for a talented undergraduate paid intern to assist on a project relating to how cell communication regulates the recovery of planarian flatworms after ionizing radiation. The selected student will be paired with an experienced scientific mentor and asked to complete experiments related to their ongoing research. They will use RNAi to test the function of genes expressed in cell types of interest and visualize gene expression patterns in the animal using whole mount in situ hybridization. They will analyze and quantify the phenotypes produced by gene depeletion and the expression levels of their gene targets visualized by confocal microscopy. The student will also meet to discuss historical and current papers relevant to their research. As a member of the Benham-Pyle Laboratory, the student will be expected to responsibly monitor their time and efforts in the lab (greater than or equal to 10 hours per week) and be a productive and professional member of the group. In addition, they are expected to help maintain the supportive, rigorous, and collaborative culture of the group.

Job Purpose

Provides temporary administrative or laboratory support to a department while gaining practical work experience.  

Job Duties

• Student interns are paired with a highly experienced mentor where they will contribute to ongoing research studies and trained to perform the following tasks: 
  • Prepares RNAi food for gene depletion studies.
  • Performs amputation assays and quantifys the resulting regeneration phenotypes.
  • Fixes and stains planarian tissues for known tissue markers and genes of interest using in situ hybridization.
  • Image stained planarian tissues and completes image analysis pipeline to quantify the staining signal.
  • Regularly attends and participates in lab meetings, including the presentation of data and discussing relevant literature in journal club meetings. 

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Must be enrolled in high school or be a high school graduate (or equivalent secondary education) or enrolled in an institution of higher education.