Caylin Grove is a genetics: genomics major from Hollis, New Hampshire, who is researching the presence of two diseases that affect oysters in Great Bay.
COLSA: Tell us about your research in as non-technical language as possible.
Caylin Grove: I research Multinucleated Sphere Unknown (MSX) and Dermo in eastern oysters in Great Bay. I specifically study the larval stages and use genetics to determine whether the oyster larvae are diseased.
COLSA: What challenge does your research seek to address?
Caylin: My research seeks to address disease in oysters within Great Bay and help contribute to the conservation of eastern oysters.
COLSA: How will your work benefit people, communities and/or the natural environment in New Hampshire?
Caylin: My work will help aid the conservation effort for eastern oysters in Great Bay. Oysters are a keystone species so my research will help improve the ecosystem of Great Bay and allow for more production of oysters.
COLSA: What are you learning as a result of you experience?
Caylin: I have learned so much about collecting samples, genetics, and how to create a project in research properly. I feel that I have learned so much through this experience and that it has set me up for graduate school or a job after college.
COLSA: Who are you working with? (Faculty, grad students, other undergrads)
Caylin: I work under Dr. Bonnie Brown and have assisted her on a couple of projects, but I work mainly under doctoral candidate Alyssa Strickland for my oyster research. I work alone, but I have helped with other projects in Dr. Brown's lab that include other graduate students and undergraduates.
COLSA: What should prospective students know about UNH?
Caylin: I think prospective students should know that UNH is what you make of it. Joining this lab is one of the best things I ever did, and I do not regret even a second of it. This experience has prepared me for life after my undergraduate degree and has been a fun experience as well.
COLSA: What do you love most about UNH?
Caylin: I love that UNH feels like home to me. The campus is beautiful and walkable, and the academics excite me about a career in my major. Joining a research lab as an undergraduate has provided me with many learning opportunities and I think has been a defining moment of my career at UNH.
