Alana (she/her/hers) is an honors junior, majoring in Animal Science (pre-veterinary concentration) and minoring in Molecular Cell Biology. She is extremely involved in animal related activities at UConn, ranging from working with the dairy cattle at the KDC, to her very own animal toy enrichment program in partnership with Officer Jazmine and Carson. Her interest in research consists of epigenetics, muscle biology, nutrition and animal research.
She has been involved in research as of her freshman year, under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Reed. Specifically, her project is based on the impact of poor maternal nutrition on muscle development and mitochondrial functionality in multiple generations of sheep. In other words, she is looking at how poor diets during sheep gestation can lead to negative impacts on the cells of their offspring. Throughout her time conducting research, she was able to do field work with live sheep, lab work, statistical analysis, competitions, and present at conferences. The importance of her project corresponds to both animal welfare and maternal health.
Moreover, Alana was in the 23rd Cohort of UConn’s IDEA Grant and is an undergraduate fellow of the American Physiological Society. She has presented her work in Baltimore at the annual American Physiological Society’s Symposium’s muscle biology and undergraduate research sector. She is beyond grateful for all the opportunities the Reed Lab and the Office of Undergraduate Research has given her.
Alana’s future goal is to attend veterinary school and explore additional research opportunities in the field of animal science. She enjoys working with a wide range of animals from livestock to bird wildlife and learning about their physiology. Alana hopes to help a ton of undergraduate students find their passion and career interests through research. She is always open to any questions, and conversations about her undergraduate experience!