Isabel Ramos
Biology major Isabel Ramos sought out a research opportunity to find out what research was like before making a final decision to attend graduate school. “I needed to expand my options because I had no research experience,” she says. “The beetle study sounded interesting, so I applied for the job, and they hired me. I already had a chemistry and biology background, which was helpful. And I really liked the work, although it made me realize that I don’t want to go to grad school. I’m planning to go to medical school instead.”

Ramos’ research involved examining microbial species associated with the adult Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive wood-boring insect. Asian longhorn beetles, which are found primarily in the Northeast, survive on wood from trees by burrowing into them. “They survive on cellulose and lignin in trees because they have certain bacteria and fungi that break down the wood and provide nutrition,” she explains. “By extracting DNA, we want to identify those bacteria that are unique to the beetle and that could be helping them survive by breaking down the wood.”

Because Asian longhorned beetles are a threat to trees, the goal of the research is to understand what microbes allow the beetles to feed on trees and then develop better control techniques. Since these insects have the ability to break down wood, new microbial species could have implications for the wood industry, leading to new methods of using wood for biofuel.

For the first part of the project, Ramos learned how to raise the beetles. “For one semester, it was just me and the bugs in the basement,” she says. “That part was tedious, although I didn’t mind the beetles. I got to do research for the second half of the year, preparing for the experiments and dissecting the beetles. I loved working in the lab. I learned a lot from working with graduate students, and I began to understand what’s involved in working in a research lab.”

Ramos’ adviser, entomologist Kelli Hoover, was impressed with the quality of her work. “Isabel made important contributions in the lab on our beetle project,” she says, “and she was a delight to work with.”