The Matty lab members (and hopefully you!) are interested in how the microbiome influence animal behaviors. This means more specifically, how the bacteria in the gut shift ‘risk-taking’ behaviors in a microscopic worm called Caenorhabditis elegans. The lab investigates this by performing experiments called Sensory Integration Assays, in which they force the worms to make a decision (go through a dangerous area to get to a rewarding smell or stay put where it is safe). They are currently investigating 12 bacterial strains and uncovering how they individually shift the decisions of populations of worms.
The intern will continue the work of the Matty lab – performing Sensory Integration Assays on previously untested bacterial strains, assessing the genes required for the shifts in behavior, and investigating the neuronal signaling processes that are altered after exposure to the bacterial strains. The intern will learn how to raise and maintain C. elegans, culture bacteria, perform behavioral assays, graph data & perform basic statistics, interpret data, and present data. When not doing experiments, they will be maintaining reagents, planning experiments, and reading scientific literature.
The mentor’s approach is student-centered. While many aspects of the research projects for students have been pre-determined based on experimental needs to fill the gaps in knowledge we are focused on, there is room for creativity and side project development. Students typically perform ~2 behavioral experiments per week, which leaves plenty of time to explore their other wormy interests as they relate to the gut-brain axis. The mentor provides students with opportunities for growth in individual mentoring meetings each week, a group lab meeting each week, and individualized feedback on their writing and presentation skills. Students will present their work to fellow C. elegans researchers across the country through a National C. elegans “Works in Progress” virtual group, to collaborators in California, and within the weekly lab meeting. Students in the Matty lab have attended, presented, and won awards for their work at National conferences.
Over the summer the intern will experience what it feels like to be a full-time researcher. They will likely fail some (many!) experiments, be very confused while reading papers, and probably break at least one piece of glassware. And that is expected, and is all part of the process. In addition to these struggles, they will also have fun. Last year the lab went bowling, hiked in Forest Park, went paddle-boarding, and ate a lot of cake. The Matty lab is a great place to grow into your nerdiest and truest self.
This is a 4-week position, in which the intern is expected to work full-time hours (40 hrs/wk), but for half the length of the typical ASE internship, making it a part-time position in total hours. The student should plan to start June 17 and end around July 15. There is +/- 1 week flexibility on either end. They will still be expected to attend ASE events in mid-July and mid-August.
We strongly encourage students to apply who are from one or more systemically and historically excluded group, including but not limited to, non-cis-gendered students, girls, BIPOC, first-generation college bound students, low-income/low-resourced students, students with disabilities, who are neurodivergent, and those who speak a primary language other than English.
This internship will take place in-person with the option of occasional remote work as permitted by Federal/State/Local/UO guidelines. To reduce the risks of coronavirus exposure, mentors and interns will act in accordance with applicable COVID guidelines and procedures. Selected applicants will be required to review and sign a waiver agreement.
If you have any questions about the application, website technical issues and/or this position description, please contact Saturday Academy at ase@saturdayacademy.org. Do not contact the mentor directly. Contacting the mentor directly is grounds for disqualification of your ASE application.
Basic coursework and interest in biology, ability to stand for ~30 minutes at a time, ability to use hands to manipulate small objects, ability to use eyes to look through a microscope for ~30 minutes at a time, interest in developing public speaking skills, desire to work on a team with smart & empowered women in stem!
The selected intern must wear lab-appropriate clothing (closed-toed shoes, long pants/skirts for full coverage).
• Excitement to work independently & collaboratively with members of the lab. • A desire to gain confidence in public speaking and competency in the English language • Interest in biology and a growth mindset for difficult concepts (including reading scientific literature) • Ability to physically maneuver a lab space: use two eyes in a microscope, stand for at least 30 minutes, manipulate small objects with two hands, ability to lift ~15 pounds.