Cole Hayden successfully completed Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) 2023
The “Plant Health REEU,” held from May 31 - July 27, was organized by the Department of Plant Pathology, and Cole Hayden, our undergraduate student researcher, participated from the Welti lab.
Upon completing the program, participants highlighted their research in the REEU symposium on July 27 in the Bluemont Room of the Student Union. The function was well attended by REEU mentors, professors, labmates, and friends and family of the presenters.
Cole Hayden presenting his research work
Cole was excited to present his work. “My work was on a mitochondrial protein called tafazzin that helps mitochondria function optimally to produce energy for the cell. We wanted to see how deficient levels of tafazzin in the model plant organism, Arabidopsis thaliana, affect the regulation of other genes. We extracted RNA from wild type plants, as well as from plants with deleterious T-DNA insertion mutations at the tafazzin gene locus (AT1G78690). These samples were sequenced, and the output was processed with aligners, assemblers, and differential gene expression identifiers. We discovered that several genes, particularly those whose gene products are located in the mitochondria or nucleus, are expressed differentially when there is a tafazzin deficiency,” he said.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the REEU program was a great experience in his undergraduate career. “It was my first time getting to mix my interests in computer science and computation into my work, and it taught me a lot. I also got to go through the program with some great people, both in terms of program directors and the other students involved in the program. Overall, I feel like it was an incredible way to practice some independent work, broaden my horizons, and even do some networking.”
The Welti lab congratulates Cole on successfully completing “Plant Health REEU.”
Cole Hayden (second from the left) with participants and "Plant Health REEU" program directors