Arielle Hay '17 conducting an experiment at the University of Minnesota
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When Arielle Hay ’17 applied to the Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Minnesota last spring, she had no idea that her research would end up being of critical national importance.

Arielle spent the summer working in the laboratory of Dr. Walter Low studying the effects of Zika, a mosquito-transmitted virus linked to birth defects and neurological complications.

For her project, Arielle worked to identify the locations of receptors that Zika attaches to in the eyes of fetal mice. She also prepared slides of human brain tissue for collaborating investigators. Arielle’s work has potentially wide-ranging implications for human health. She explained, “The ultimate goal of this project is to better understand the pathway that the virus takes when infecting human fetuses. The four receptors I am investigating may be potential drug targets to help prevent the effects of the virus on fetuses, namely eye malformations and microcephaly.” A neuroscience and biology major from Saint Paul, Minnesota, Arielle has also conducted research projects with Carthage neuroscience professors Denise Cook-Snyder and Daniel Miller, and is active as a tutor and laboratory assistant for biology and chemistry classes.

Spending the summer pursuing cutting-edge research has been a tremendous learning experience for Arielle. She has explored the fields of virology and developmental biology, while also honing her laboratory techniques and getting a better sense of her future career direction. “What I find most interesting is how new the topic I am looking at is,” Arielle said. “Only within the past few months was the virus found to be the cause of birth defects, so the mechanism it uses to cause symptoms is poorly understood. It’s exciting to be contributing to such a novel and urgent topic. Research itself is a very slow and occasionally frustrating process, but I like how self-directed it is.” Her research experience over the summer helped to solidify her desire to pursue a Ph.D. in a biological field.

Interested in pursuing a competitive summer research internship? Contact Dan Choffnes, Director of Student Fellowships, to discuss opportunities.