Emma Wiesler, a rising junior at IU majoring in Microbiology and minoring in Informatics, hopes to pursue a career researching genome engineering in microorganisms. Wiesler discovered her interest in genome engineering when the ASURE program provided her the opportunity to conduct research with Dr. Michael Manzella.

Wiesler said that working on her project taught her that critical thinking is, “Being able to go from ‘here’s a fact, here’s what we think happens’ – go run with this and try to solve a problem.” For her, this meant designing an experiment that tested theories proposed by literature on rrn operons in Vibrio natriegens.

Wiesler worked on creating a reporter system using GFP to study rrn operon expression in V. natriegens. Achieving this would allow the lab to track the bacterium’s expression of rrn operons over time and to begin researching what qualities enable V. natriegens to grow rapidly (doubling within ten minutes).

Wiesler believes that her stubbornness was a virtue as she persevered through the project. She remarked, “Part of the challenge is failing multiple times,” and noted that knowing what doesn’t work can be just as informative as knowing what does work.

Regardless of the outcome, Wiesler’s favorite part of research is setting up experiments and not knowing what to expect the next day.

Wiesler recommends that other undergraduates hoping to become involved in research reach out to professors and check emails for updates about research opportunities. She emphasized that each person’s experience with undergraduate research is unique, including the timeline and method of involvement.

“Don’t compare yourself to other people,” Wiesler advised.