Maternal Effects of Aseptic and Septic Injury on Embryonic and Larval Gene Expression in the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta

The Shout-It-Out Award (Conference Travel Award)

Blog Post by Khaled Elnaggar
Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry ’20

My research project focused on the Transgenerational effects of maternal/paternal exposure to pathogens in an insect model. My individual role was pinpointed on the effects of the paternal group. I investigated whether injecting male pupae with a pathogenic bacterium and mating these males with untreated females would influence the morphometric details of their embryos and the genetic up regulation of immune related genes.

Everyone at the conference was very friendly, and the overall atmosphere was jubilant. Our poster was received quite well and the main questions surrounded our method in extracting RNA from our insect models. Furthermore, we also received constructive feedback on our display of the one of the graphs, in an attempt to make it more clear.

I observed other posters that used the same Insect model as my lab – Manduca sexta. Since this is such a common insect model, it was useful to see the different ways in which it was used. One poster mentioned how placement of a specific amount of Nicotine in the diet will significantly improve the hatch rate. Which was very interesting to my lab and I.

This conference had a broad spectrum of available talks; thus, I was able to hear and learn about a wide range of different fields from Endocrinology and Entomology to how Disney presents a storyline effectively.

Ultimately, this conference was a brilliant experience for me. From the knowledge gained about my own insect model, constructive feedback on our project, to the network connections made throughout. This will definitely aid us as we return to the lab and continue working, and has already helped us individually as I feel more knowledgable in my field.

Conference Travel Fund Blog Post by Lucas Cohen
Candidate for a Bachelor of Science in Biology ’18

This conference was an entirely new and wonderful experience for me; never before have I had the chance to immerse myself in an environment so saturated with like-minded students and professionals alike. I attended a variety of talks ranging from a synthesis of the current state of our understanding of the evolution of the vertebrate lateral line to an in-depth examination of the biomechanics of tuna locomotion. These talks brought back a deep-rooted passion for marine biology and ecology; my interests in molecular biology and genetics (indeed, the focus of our lab’s research) were leveraged by talks, for example, on the metabolic physiology of extremophile organisms and on the relevance and application of transcriptomics in conservation. Counterproductive though it may seem, the overwhelming variety of talks reinforced within me a desire to merge all of my main research interests into one – not an impossible task by any standard, but one that will inevitably require of me a great deal of searching and thinking.

Concretely, my time in front of the posters – both as a viewer and presenter – produced both genuinely enjoyable conversation and meaningful insights. I had the chance to discuss our research with others in the field – experts on our model organism, Manduca sexta – and gain insight into the current state of M. sexta molecular and evolutionary research (in the context of their respective interests, of course). I spoke with both novices and lifetime researchers, witnessing all at once the same naive inquisitiveness that drives students like me and the rigorous but constructive criticism of professors and other experienced researchers.

Overall, the SICB meeting was a wholly unique opportunity for me to explore old interests and new in a genuinely stimulating environment.