Rose Habib ’27, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Rose Habib ’27

Major

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Project Title

Exploring Natural Variation of Seed Oil Content in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) for Climate Resilient Agriculture

Presentation Link

View Rose's Presentation

Minor(s): Archaeology, Visual Arts

My research focused on evaluating okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) as a viable alternative oil source. Our group is using various laboratory procedures including DNA extraction, NMR spectroscopy, genetic engineering and advanced data analysis to identify plant lines with the highest seed oil content, with the aim of enhancing future production. My work was mainly in the field at the Princeton Seed Farm, where I performed controlled pollination and phenotypic selection while tending to the okra plants. I also delved into the literature on key topics in biology and biochemistry, particularly through the study of model plants like Arabidopsis thaliana that we processed for single insertion events. This literature review encompassed topics include genotyping, selective breeding for homozygosity, bacterial transformation and plating. My work also extended to exploring the intersection of technology and engineering, where I investigated microbial interactions by developing highthroughput 3D-printed microplanters designed to host various media and environments, potentially leading to more efficient automated data collection. Most importantly, I had the opportunity to expand my network by collaborating with faculty and fellow students at Princeton who share my academic and research interests.