Allison Sharp
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Stewardess of Science
Jacobson Lab
In April of 2021, I joined Dr. Jacobson's plant pathology lab, where we researched Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus and its transmission to cotton through aphids. I spent much of my time in this position collecting data by counting the number of aphids on each of our treatment plants at the E. V. Smith Research Center. I also used a sweep net to collect insect samples from our treatment plots and learned to identify the common insects I saw. While in the field, I recorded my data and later input the datasheets into Excel. The majority of my time at this position was spent working at a microscope. I would take pan traps collected from the field and sort out the aphids. I would then count the number of aphids per sample and set them aside to be identified. I also performed tasks such as organizing the lab space, watering our plants at the greenhouse, setting up experiments, and various physical labor.
This picture was snapped right before I opened my sweep net to identify the insects inside.
In this picture, my teammates stand barefoot in the flooded cotton field. In the background you can see the plant cages used for our study.
This picture was snapped right before I opened my sweep net to identify the insects inside.
Hood Lab
I joined Dr. Hood's lab in August 2022, where I help work to understand the mechanistic basis for variation in individual performance and life history in mice. I am currently working on a project that is researching how different amounts of light exposure affect mice physiology, as well as another project that hopes to determine if mice raised in semi-natural environments display phenotypes more similar to wild or lab raised mice. To the left you can see my end of the semester research project on how different light treatments effect mice nesting structure and body mass. I assist with these projects by performing animal care and data collection, as well as assisting another project by performing data analysis in RStudio and a Linux environment. I will also be using a graduate student's data to test my own hypothesis and give a presentation on my findings at the end of the semester.
University of Washington Friday Harbor Lab
I am very proud to announce that I was one of fourteen students selected to participate in an eight week long undergraduate research opportunity. This summer I will travel to San Juan Island off the Washington coast to study sexual selection in maritime earwigs. I will be working with my advisor to select my own hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, perform data analysis, and create a final presentation on my work to be given at a seminar. I am thrilled that I was given the opportunity to answer my own scientific question and perform each step of the scientific process on my own.