My name is Firdaus Muhammad, and I am an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst pursuing a dual degree in Public Health Sciences and Microbiology, Class of 2026. I am a member of the fourth cohort of “Team RichCo”, a collaborative group of undergraduate researchers in the Karlstrom and Timme-Laragy labs dedicated to investigating the effects of toxicants on zebrafish development and growth.

After receiving the RichCo Laboratories Undergraduate Zebrafish Research Award last fall, I began working alongside Karina Yee, Ezrina Seo, and Autumn Whelan on a project examining the effects of PFOS and PFHxS co-exposure on cell proliferation in the exocrine pancreas. Our research involves dosing zebrafish with DMSO as a control, followed by pancreas dissection, mounting, imaging, and quantitative cell counting. By segmenting the pancreas into distinct zones, we have begun to observe variations in the number of proliferative cells within each region.

This project and research award have been transformative in my undergraduate journey, deepening my understanding of toxicology and developmental biology research. Through this experience, I have developed invaluable skills as both a researcher and a student, further reinforcing my passion for scientific discovery. I am incredibly grateful to Steve Richter and the team at RichCo Laboratories for this extraordinary opportunity. I look forward to continuing our research and mentoring the next generation of undergraduate students as they contribute to this important field!