Stories From The Lab
After spending years as a field researcher, I had the opportunity to conduct molecular work during my Ph.D. program at Utah State University. The skills in handling chemicals and carrying out specific protocol worked well with my detail-oriented work style.
Steady Hands
I got my first immersive crash-course in molecular techniques with extracting DNA from spider wasp specimens housed at the EMUS. Successful extractions varied depending on the original collection method and age of the specimen. Some specimens that worked were from the 1940's!
Training the Next Generation
As someone who likes to share research experiences with others, I had the opportunity to help in training several undergraduate students in the wet lab! We focused on extracting and purifying DNA from many Pompilidae (spider wasp) genera to include in a large phylogeny.
In order to understand relationships between different species, they first need to be sorted at least to morphospecies, or specimens that morphologically look similar in coloration and proportions. These morphospecies can then be compared to the descriptions of already-described species, and either given those names if morphology matches that of the holotype of the species (the singular specimen most species descriptions are based on) or set aside as a new species!