Class of 2025 HCUR Alum: Caylin Grove (Genomics)

In this series, we hear from three graduating Hamel Center students about the research they completed during their time as undergraduates and what’s next for them now that commencement has passed. 

Caylin Grove and Dr. Kelsey Meyers-Rust raking for oysters. 

What was your research topic? 

I studied MSX and Dermo in eastern oyster larvae found in Great Bay Estuary. These are two diseases that are responsible for a 90% decrease in oyster populations in Great Bay Estuary. During my time at UNH, I received both a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) and an Undergraduate Research Award (URA) from the Hamel Center to support this research.  

What did you learn?

Through this experience I gained valuable knowledge of running an independent research project. I also learned many skills that broadened my horizons as a researcher and were useful when applying to jobs and graduate school. Throughout my time in Dr. Brown’s ecological genetics lab, I have done many things that I found amazing, such as my current project of sequencing larval genomes using nanopore sequencing technology. I will continue this work through the summer. 

Caylin with a blue crab caught in Great Bay Estuary. 

What was the best part of doing this research project, and what did you find the most challenging? 

The best part of doing this research project was working closely with everyone to understand all the moving parts that go into a research lab. I spent a lot of my SURF out on the boats in Great Bay Estuary collecting water samples and helping with crabbing for other projects in the lab.  

How did you prepare to present this research at the URC? 

To prepare my presentation for the URC I worked with members of my lab to perfect the presentation and make sure that it all looked on par with the presentations that they have given at larger conferences. I also got together with a few friends who were presenting at the URC and we practiced our presentations and gave each other feedback.  

What’s next? 

Next fall I will start a master's program in genome bioinformatics at the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout my time in Dr. Bonnie Brown’s ecological genetic lab I learned extraordinarily important skills that gave me a leg up for graduate school and set me on a path to becoming a better researcher and person. I plan to utilize all that I have been taught to rise up and hopefully one day work in human genomics, working to cure genetic diseases.