My name is Autumn and I am currently a junior biology major at UMass Amherst. I am grateful to be working in the Karlstrom and Timme-Laragy labs with the support of the Richco Undergraduate Zebrafish Award. This opportunity provides the unique experience of approaching a research project from both a toxicology and developmental biology perspective, integrating multidisciplinary approaches to the experimental design, procedure development, and data analysis.

As a fifth generation recipient of this award, I am working under the mentorship of senior researchers Karina Yee and Ezrina Seo. Their project aims to replicate the work of Emily Formato, observing the effects of early embryonic exposure to PFOS and PFHxS- chemicals commonly found in household products such as non-stick cookware, fire-fighting foam, and food packaging. They are long-lasting chemicals that persist in the environment, causing them to be detected in the blood of most humans. The focus of their work is observing the impact of these chemicals on the development of the pancreas and brain in zebrafish, with potential relevance to human health.

Firdaus and I will be taking over the project this summer, and are currently gaining technical skills involving dissecting, mounting, imaging, and using software for data collection and analysis of cell proliferation in zebrafish pancreata and brains. I look forward to meeting the next generation of RichCo students and I would like to thank Steve Richter and Tommy Goodrow for their support of our undergraduate research experience.