2025 Internship Project Overview

Our research combined hands-on fieldwork with meticulous lab work to investigate two bright-green bee species—Augochlora pura and Augochlorella aurata—and the nematodes that reside within them. The ultimate goal of this project is to investigate the symbiotic relationship between bees and nematodes—how parasites affect bee energy stores, the nematodes’ impact on solitary versus eusocial bee species and where the bee-nematode relationship falls on the host-symbiont scale. Princeton Battlefield and Carson Woods were perfect places to catch and observe the Hymenoptera: Halictidae bees, before dissection under the microscope. One of the highlights of our summer was extracting over 1,000 individual nematodes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) standards. We made interesting observations on the differences between the two species’ nematodes and helped enable a more efficient method to quantify the nematodes. Additionally, we successfully completed a fat body protocol using a high-precision scale! A huge thank-you to Charlotte and The Graham Group—we are wholly inspired and grateful for this experience.

 

ORGANIZATION/RESEARCH GROUP

The Graham Group, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

LOCATION

Princeton, New Jersey

 

Interns

Doonya Khan ’27
Major: Neuroscience
Minor(s): Bioengineering
"The research process was often challenging, with setbacks that required problem-solving and adjustments, but finding solutions was rewarding and helped me grow more confident in my technical skills. This experience has influenced me to consider pursuing an MD/Ph.D. in neuroscience."
Shaila Man ’28
Major: School of Public and International Affairs
Minor(s): Quantitative and Computational Biology
"I gained rewarding fieldwork experience and grew as a scientific writer, reader, and thinker. One of the most enjoyable parts was extracting nematodes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction standards. This experience motivated me to take EEB classes and pursue a minor in Quantitative and Computational Biology!"

Click to view the end-of-project presentation

 

Andrea Graham
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Mentors

  • Charlotte Knopp, Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology