School of Medicine
63 Analyzing the role of Tom70 in supporting MDC formation: A Research Reflection
Aryana Merritt-Johnson
Faculty Mentor: Zachary Wilson (Biochemistry, University of Utah)
A research reflection
Upon my acceptance into SPUR, the immediate excitement from family, friends, and even faculty was followed by a questioning look, all questioning the same thing, “Have you ever even been to Utah?” This question made sense, after all, being born and raised in Washington State, there has been little to no time outside the state without my friends or family for comfort. So, each time my answer was a chuckle laced with nervousness, excitement, and even the tiniest bit of fear followed by a small “No.” I had a small idea of what kind of research I was getting into, knowing I would be studying mitochondria in the model organism S. Cerevisiae, cool right? The powerhouse of the cell! That in and of itself was a change, having only studied Pacific Madrone genetics and the DNA repair pathway of Tetrahymena thermophila, switching to a different organism with research heavy in biochemistry (which I have to admit, I wasn’t stellar at) was a little nerve wracking, but even more exciting.
So, I made my way here to Salt Lake City, curious what my three new roommates would be like, if we would get along, and the same about my mentor. I had heard good things about Zach from a professor I worked closely with back home, so I had an idea of what to expect, but as most people know, what you expect, and reality can be completely different. Luckily for me, what I heard was true! Cue the automatic relief. This relief continued as I met the other members of the Hughes lab, everyone being genuinely friendly and open. The kindness balanced out my nerves, and the sudden weight of expectation that I was feeling seemed a little lighter. At least until I saw the lab. Now, being from a smaller university our labs are still amazing, but this was on a completely different level. About five times the size of my lab back home, and filled with tools and machines I didn’t even know existed, the pressure started increasing. I doubted if my work would be up to the caliber of what was expected from this lab. So of course in response, my determination to be a welcome addition to the lab increased tenfold.
Zach and I spent the first couple of weeks just introducing me to the project, going into the background of what research the lab had done previously, and how my project would fit in and contribute to others projects. At first, this was information overload, papers upon papers, wrapping my head around the fact that yes, sometimes the incubation rooms would smell like bread, and learning to get the timing right for yeast and bacterial cultures. But eventually I got the hang of it, and even got all the way through my project!
Now, I’ve been mentioning “the project” but haven’t actually explained what I dedicated my summer to! The Hughes lab focuses around how the organization of ce