Presenting my research at the Signal and Communication poster session at SICB

Author: Nandini Arunachalam  |  Majors: Biology and Information Systems  |  Semester: Spring 2026

My name is Nandini Arunachalam, and I am a senior in the Fulbright Honors College and Walton College of Business, double majoring in Biology and Information Systems. My project involves exploring the effect of knocking out the Odorant Receptor Co-Receptor (ORco) gene on the reproductive behavior of the Bicyclus anynana butterfly. The ORco gene is central to the chemosensory pathway in insects, enabling olfaction. Olfaction is important for insects to be able to detect predators, search for food, and select mates. By disrupting the ORco gene, my project investigates how the loss of smell influences mate preferences and mating latency.

I traveled to Portland, Oregon to present my research at the annual Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). SICB brings together researchers from a wide range of biological disciplines to increase awareness of new research and methodologies involving a variety of living organisms. I participated in a poster session about signals and communications, where researchers discussed how animals perceive and respond to different cues in their environment. This was my first time attending a research conference and presenting the project I’ve been working on for the last two years.

Attending SICB helped me move my research forward in several ways. Preparing to present at the poster session enabled me to create a poster that simplified my findings in an engaging and efficient way, so that people in different fields could understand it just by reading it. Also, this experience taught me how to effectively communicate my results while presenting to people. Continuously explaining my project to new audiences taught me how to adapt my explanations based on the listener’s background. I also received valuable feedback from the people that I discussed my project with. If I didn’t know the answer to a question they had, they were more than willing to teach me about it and share their experience. I talked to other students participating in similar projects with other organisms, and it was interesting to compare our methodology. These conversations helped me see that I’m not alone in the challenges I have faced while performing the experimental methodology, and that was validating.

Beyond the poster session, I attended several talks and symposia covering a variety of topics, including biomechanics, neurobiology, and evolutionary ecology of animals and their behavior. One of the most memorable presentations that I attended looked at how cranial sutures distribute strain and force in head butting goats to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injuries. Also, I got to learn about the research other people are conducting, whether that was similar to working on butterflies like I do, or different animals such as snakes and octopi. Exposure to different research broadened my perspective on what biological research can look like and how different fields can interact and intersect.

In terms of research, I will be collecting more data for my project by regenerating an ORco mutant line by using CRISPR-Cas9. I will also be working on writing my thesis and will defend my thesis by the end of this semester. In terms of future plans, I will be attending medical school in the Fall.