Gardner Serving As Genomic Biology Researcher This Summer

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Junior Keith Gardner of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's soccer has spent the summer gaining valuable experience while serving as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Illinois' Institute for Genomic Biology.

Gardner, a biology major, works in the lab under the direction of Dr. Andrew Leakey, a professor in the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois. The position allowed Gardner to participate in large experiments and further develop his skills for future success both at UW-Platteville and in his future endeavors.

Gardner shared some of his experiences below:

Describe what you are doing at the internship: 

A mixture of field work and bench science. The principal goals for the lab are "to improve mechanistic understanding of 1) Plant responses in natural and agricultural ecosystems to global environmental change 2) Adaptation of food and fuel crops to global environmental change, especially drought and 3) Sustainability of biofuel feedstocks." I would say the common aim of the projects I am contributing to is expanding understanding of the factors which contribute to water use efficiency in energy crops, namely sorghum and corn. In the field I spent a majority of the time helping with the installation of minirhizotron tubes into designated experimental plots. Minirhizotrons are clear plastic tubes placed into the ground at a 45-degree angle near the base of plant that allow subterranean pictures and a variety of readings to be taken throughout a plants lifecycle in order to survey plant root structure. At the bench most of my work consists of experiments designed to help understand the impact that specific genetic factors have on stomatal density and related leaf physiology in sorghum plants. The stomata are of particular interest because they are the holes in the leaf where gas exchange takes place, directly impacting a plants use of available CO2 and water. These experiments consist of a range from DNA extraction to taking scans with a microscope that are integrated with machine learning to count stomata in a given sample.

How did you hear about the internship/what was the hiring process like? 

I initially reached out to Dr. Andrew Leakey seeking guidance about how to get involved in neuroscience research at the University of Illinois during the summer. Neuroscience is the field I am interested in studying in graduate School. I reached out to him because I have family and family friends that know Dr. Leakey and speak highly of him, and his position at the University made him a likely source of helpful information about what the best angle would be to get involved in research at the university. We had a zoom meeting where Dr. Leakey was gracious enough to explain what the best way to reach out to professors working in my field of interest. However, during our conversation I inquired about the work that his lab was conducting and upon learning out it I indicated my interest. At the end of our conversation Dr. Leakey was gracious enough to extend me a research position in his lab, while also allowing me a period of time to continue perusing research opportunities in neuroscience. Before making a final decision, I visited the University during one of my weekends home from school and Dr. Leakey took the time to give me a tour of the laboratory and field spaces he oversees. After some deliberation I made the decision to accept the offer as an opportunity to dip my toe into other disciplines of scientific research, in an attempt to become more well-rounded before the specialization that takes place in graduate school.

What skills are you learning that will translate to your career goals? 

I think the principle take away from my experience this summer will be the skills I have gained working in a lab that runs very large experiments. The research work I do at Platteville on a much smaller scale and often based on independently driven hypotheses. The experiments I am responsible for helping bring to life at the U of I are comparatively massive in scale and help to answer hypothesis that are shared with me, but I'm not responsible for creating. This skill set will be beneficial for any type of research I do in the future because it gives me a look under the hood at what it takes to do high impact publication level research. Additionally I've learned a whole host of skills, which at face value, appear very tightly applicable to the work I do in this lab, but may have an unforeseen benefit down the line. For example, in the field I've learned how to operate tractors to install minirhizotrons and in the lab I've learned how to use a microscope equipped for optical tomography to survey leaf surfaces for stomata. I'm not immediately sure how either of these skills will help me in my neuroscience pursuits, but it is possible I will call on them to find a creative interdisciplinary angle which could lead to a new discovery at some point in the unforeseen future.

What can you take from this internship to carry over into your athletic career at UW-Platteville? 

The necessity for clear communication to prevent problems in the future. The ability to be adaptable and think creatively when problems arise. The idea that high volume repetition is an effective method for getting really good at something.

Have you enjoyed the internship thus far?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my internship thus far. I appreciate the structure that it give my day and find the consistent rotation of projects enjoyable. I am extremely grateful that Dr. Leakey extended me the opportunity to work in both the field and the lab, rather than just one of the two, which has allowed me a much broader exposure different techniques and information. It also value the feeling I get that I'm contributing to meaningful research that could have an impact on the world. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to cross paths with many interesting and knowledgeable people. Getting the opportunity to learn from others with unique backgrounds is something I always welcome.