Nola Rettenmaier received $2,000 from the Dextra Undergraduate Research Endowment Fund to support her research on the genetic basis of floral fusion, carried out in collaboration with Graduate Student mentor Heather Phillips. Nola is a second-year undergraduate student, majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Genetics, Genomics and Development. She is working toward pursing an Honors Degree, and this award will support her continued research in the lab. Together, Heather and Nola are exploring the role that floral fusion plays in the evolution and diversification of flowering plants. Nola states in her letter of acceptance: “The Specht Lab’s focus on studying plant evolution and diversification using molecular and genetic tools aligns perfectly with my keen interest in elucidating the evolutionary underpinnings of complex genetic and developmental mechanisms.” She’s excited to gain a deeper understanding of plant genetics and development, and we’re excited to have her with us!!
Nola plans to pursue a PhD in biology and to work as a researcher and faculty member at a university. She is interested in signal transduction and metabolic pathways, mechanisms of gene regulation, and molecular evolution. She also likes viral and bacterial genetics and transposable elements, so we’re going to have to see what we can do to continue to pique those areas of interest!!
Congratulations, Nola!