Jeremy Kim ’27
Chemical and Biological Engineering
Exploring Natural Variation of Seed Oil Content in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) for Climate Resilient Agriculture
Okra, a multi-purpose crop that has shown tolerance to abiotic stress conditions, has risen as a solution to the increasing threats of global warming. As an oilseed crop, okra is also considered a vital food commodity. This project aims to make the production of okra oil more economical by identifying genetic markers for high seed oil content. I extracted DNA from a vast array of okra samples from which reference genomes were produced. From these reference genomes, it will be possible to identify genes associated with higher oil content, as well as changes within genes across generations. In addition, I worked on optimizing the DNA extraction procedure to produce purer and more consistent data, since okra contains a significant amount of saccharides that can negatively impact the procedure. Outside the lab, I worked on the Seed Farm to care for the okra plants and collect samples. I plan to continue working on this project during the semester and the implications behind the genetic markers for high seed oil content make me curious about other ways in which breeding can lead to improved crop characteristics.
2024
Water and Agriculture
Conway Lab, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey
Jonathan Conway, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Samuel Eastman, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemical and Biological Engineering; Chao Liao, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemical and Biological Engineering