This summer, two transfer students from AB-Tech have found their place in the environmental studies and biology departments at UNC Asheville by taking part in one of our favorite university traditions: undergraduate research.
Powered by a grant from the Walnut Cove Members Association, Michelle Paredes and Gabi Parker are diving into their research with the Southern Appalachian Rare and Imperiled Plants project under the guidance of Professor of Biology Jennifer Rhode Ward. Their research is part of a larger transfer student research grant, which empowers six students to do research in biology, chemistry, new media, and environmental fields.
Additional student research projects funded by the grant include Host Plants of Dodder by Jane Jeffrey; Coding Virtual Reality Game Instructions by Daniel Brice Cothran; Environmental Catalysts by Victoria Magyar; and Investigating Essential Gene Function in Staphylococcus aureus by Jacob Dowling Fender.
“The research is studying Sarracenia, a genus of carnivorous pitcher plants that are native to our region,” said Paredes who, together with Parker, assists in all aspects of collection, analysis, and other lab procedures. “Unfortunately the two species here, Sarracenia jonseii and Sarracenia purpurea var montana are imperiled and are producing hybrids, which are not protected under the endangered species act.”
Paredes and Parker are working together to collect pollen samples from the two pitcher plants, and cataloging the amount and condition the pollen is in while in the lab. Part of their research is determining the reproductive efforts of the two plants through their pollen, as well as dissecting certain atypical features found on a population the pair are studying.
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