04/01/19

Rationale:

to prepare for presentation of poster board at URSA.

Procedure:

1. each presentation group presented the poster board.
2. the presentation was then critiqued and improvements were suggested

Results

learned about flaws in the presentation and acquired a better understanding of how the research should be presented

Conclusion

with the help of these critiques and improvements, the class is now ready to professionally present the poster board

Future steps

present poster board during assigned time

Poster Presentation Practice 4/1/19

Rationale

The rationale behind these procedures is to ensure that each member of the class can present the poster in a coherent way and to ensure that all of us know what information is on the poster and being presented. We also practiced answering questions so that we can better communicate our poster.

Tools/Procedure

1. Presentation groups were picked based on poster signup times
2. Each group gave a presentation and was critiqued
3. General points of confusion were clarified and poster presentation etiquette was explained

Results

There is no picture of what we did today in lab because it was just practice, but it helped us learn what to say and how to say it for scholar’s day.

Conclusion

There is not much that can be said as a conclusion as this was a practice day, but I can say that I feel more confident in my ability to present during my timeslot on Wednesday.

Future Plans

In the future, we will use what we learned to present during Scholar’s Week.

Title: Comparing Base Pair Repeats

Date: 3 April 2019

Rationale:  To begin the major research project, the group will be examining a 51-base pair repeated sequence in NapoleonB’s genome.

Tools: 

• DNA Master
• Gepard Alignment
• PhagesDB
• NCBI BLASTn

Procedure: The 51 bp sequence was BLAST’ed and the results compared using a phamerator map and DNA Master annotated FastA files to investigate the nature of the repeated sequence.

Results/Observations: It was observed that the 51 bp sequence repeated around 25,500 base pairs in the AM cluster after an NKF gene. However, the repeat was found after a minor tail protein in NapoleonB.

Conclusions/Next Steps: The sequence will continually be investigated to find if any more evidence can be found (perhaps in the predicted protein structure or conserved domain) to find out if the sequence has any meaning or if the NKF call can be reversed.

Title: Presentation Practice

Date: 1 April 2019

Rationale: The purpose of this lab is to practice the presentation for URSA Scholars Week.

Procedure: Each group took turns practicing a presentation of the class poster in preparation for Scholars Week judging.

Results/Observations: Each group received feedback from the class and found areas to improve upon.

Conclusions/Next Steps: Each group will continue to work on their independent project.