Lauren L
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of Wisconsin
Expertise
General Biology, Bacteriology, Human Gut Microbiome, Environmental Microbiology, Metabolomics/Lipidomics
Bio
I am a postdoctoral researcher with a PhD in Microbiology (the study of microorganisms). I study bacteria in the human gut to learn how those bacteria modify metabolites produced by the human host. Mentoring students has allowed me to combine my love for microbiology, my love for learning, and my love for teaching all into a single activity. Here's the link to a recent paper I've published: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00805-21 Outside of the lab, I love to go rock climbing, biking, kayaking, hiking, and foraging! But I also love crafting, playing with my cat, and reading books =]Project ideas
We Are Living in a Microbial World
In this project students will explore microbial metabolisms that take place in a chosen ecosystem. This ecosystem may be the human gut, a favorite fermented food or drink, or even a deep sea hydrothermal vent. You will draw and label the ecosystem with which microbes are present, what they're doing, and how they're interacting.
Write a review paper on a topic that interests you!
Together we can choose a topic that's narrow enough to research, but broad enough that it contributes to a scientific field. Then you will perform research to refine the topic and define the organization of the paper. I will teach you how to use Zotero or Mendeley as a citation tracker and notetaker. Using what you've learned from your research, you will outline, write, and revise so that by the end of our 10 sessions you should have a publishable review paper. Key aspects of review papers: synthesis of information, critiques of data and data interpretation, identification of future areas of study that would contribute to the field. Because I have a lot of experience performing research and writing reviews, I am comfortable advising mentees on a broad range of review paper topics, including but not limited to those I list below. Potential topics for review: -Private university vs public university graduate student stipends -Gut bacterial metabolism of [insert topic of interest] -Role of gut bacteria in onset of [insert disease of interest] -Applications of natural pH indicators to reduce environmental impact -Your unique idea!