Phebe Lemert

Phebe Lemert
Phebe lemert

Thesis:  Conservation of Dehydration Stress Memories Between Abiotic Stresses in Zea mays and the Characterization of Drought-Responsive Morphology in mop1-1 Mutants

Thesis Director:  Dr. Karen McGinnis, Department of Biological Science

"My name is Phebe Lemert and I am graduating with degrees in Biological Sciences & Psychology. I decided to pursue an Honors in the Major in Biological Sciences because I had been researching in the McGinnis Lab since January 2017. It felt like a great sort of capstone to my time in the laboratory and the greenhouse. My project revolved around the expression of certain "memories" that maize could create in response to certain abiotic stressors, like drought or dehydration. To fully understand what was going on, I needed to do molecular analysis and extract the RNA of my samples. With the help of the Bess H. Ward Honor's Thesis award, I was able to secure a healthy amount of funding to purchase RNA extraction kits, primers, and services from the Molecular Cloning Facility. In doing so, I also learned invaluable techniques that I will be able to apply to research for the rest of my life. Thank you for this opportunity and go 'Noles!"

-Phebe Lemert, Fall 2019 Bess H. Ward Honors in the Major Thesis Award Winner