Author: Savannah Washburn        Major: Biology

Savannah Washburn

Starting in Fall 2019, I began research in the biological sciences department under my advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis. I am a graduating senior at Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in biology. The overarching goal of the laboratory is to study microbial stress responses while considering natural variation in wild isolates of yeast, which allows for a greater understanding of how the environment and evolution can shape the stress response of microorganisms. My specific role in this research group is to test whether laboratory domestication of two closely related yeast species leads to either similar or different evolutionary trajectories and fitness trade-offs. Understanding fitness tradeoffs has broad implications from selective breeding of agriculturally important organisms to the evolution of antibiotics and chemotherapy resistance.

I originally became interested in my project while I was taking a Genetics course with my advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis. I really enjoyed learning about this topic, so I was interested in pursuing research in this field. After discussing my interests and the work of Dr. Lewis’ research group, I decided on my research project, ‘The Genome Structure of Yeast During Domestication.” This project allowed me to explore the impact of variations in the genome and how this applies to the fitness tradeoffs of different species of yeast.

Throughout my project, I learned that one of the species of yeast used, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, might contain a genetic background that is predisposed to domestication. On the other hand, Saccharomyces paradoxus, the other species of yeast used in this project, might contain a genetic background that is not as easily manipulated for human benefit. During my project, I also had the opportunity to learn computational biology, a skill I had not previously explored. Throughout this project, I learned that I really enjoyed computational biology, as well as the research and implications of this field. However, there was a large “learning curve” I had to overcome in order to effectively and efficiently perform my research. To gain a better understanding of the skills I needed, I had the opportunity to take a course tailored to novices in the computational biology field. In this class, I was able to learn the basics of computer science and apply these skills to my project.

Throughout my project, Dr. Lewis provided me with guidance on this new skill I have acquired. Additionally, Dr. Lewis helped me form testable questions and advice on how to navigate the computational biology field. I also had help from a previous laboratory member that provided me with a pipeline I could utilize to form my unique computational pipeline. Additionally, our collaborator, Dr. Dana Somers from Dickinson college, evolved the yeast strains used in my project. With the guidance and help provided by Dr. Lewis and a previous laboratory member, I was able to successfully perform computational biology research.

In the future, I plan to further analyze the yeast sequences and make comparisons between the species of yeast used in this project. This will allow me to determine the tradeoffs of laboratory domestication. Also, throughout my research, I have really appreciated this computational biology, and I plan to further develop my skills in this research field. I have also really enjoyed research, so I am continuing my education to pursue a Ph.D. in biology and continue research.