Are you planning your capstone and realizing you might have to do research off campus? Genevieve Pilch ’17 had a similar challenge as she was working on her capstone.

Through her capstone, she is researching Mimulus guttatus’, the common monkey flower, genetic composition and its phenotype. Her lab is combining phenotypic observations with genetic data from sequencing, which allows them to locate regions of the genome responsible for controlling traits of interest. Ultimately, they will observe how the genetic structure of an organism constrains the processes of natural selection and evolution. However, Syracuse University does not have the necessary equipment to gather the genetic data.

Genevieve used her Crown Wise Award to collaborate with the University of Rochester for her work in genetics. The University of Rochester Genomics Research Center will conduct the sequencing services and Genevieve will use the genetic data received from Rochester to identify the genomic regions that are linked to their traits of interest.

She credits the completion of this project to this award and the help she received from her capstone advisor and the principal investigator, Jannice Friedman, for the lab she works in. Friedman has been involved in her research from the start and she has learned so much from her and the other members of her lab.

For more information about how Crown Awards can help turn your ideas into reality, visit the Funding section on our Honors website.