During the spring semester, Neil Skinner got a rare chance to work on gene mapping in Andrew Paterson 's lab. Skinner, a senior, helped map sorghum genes that may encode for proteins with pathogen-resistant qualities. Knowing the location of these genes in sorghum DNA also may help scientists not only develop pathogen resistance in sorghum but also build maps of other closely related grass species, such as sugar cane. Sugar cane genes are much harder to map because, unlike sorghum, some closely related sugar cane cultivars may have widely differing numbers of chromosomes. The undergraduate research program, now in its second year, is open to any undergraduate in the College.
Students can get help in finding faculty mentors for their research projects.
Article by Judy Purdy , Education, Communication and Technology Unit - Athens.