Student Shoutout: Gianna G. ‘25

April 04, 2024

Congratulations are in order for junior Gianna G., who recently completed an internship at the Law Lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. While at the research institute, Gianna had the opportunity to work side by side with some of the country’s leading scientists. “During the internship, I was part of the Law Lab team and was tasked with doing a mini-lab setup as well as performing tests on seeds using PCR and gel electrophoresis,” Gianna began when asked about her internship assignments. “I also performed a Gibson reaction with E. coli, which was really interesting, and was able to use confocal microscopy to view suberin in the roots of an Arabidopsis plant. Finally, I was able to sit in on team presentations from leading scientists in the field of genetics and learn about their work.”

Gianna’s time at the institute was predominantly focused on the Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI), which, Gianna explained, “is working on a solution to help combat climate change by developing a new generation of plants with genetically altered roots that can trap and store carbon dioxide underground.” One method they’re devoted to developing is the utilization of the Earth’s preexisting carbon storage mechanisms, such as plant roots, to keep more carbon in the ground. “The key is suberin, which is in plant tissue,” Gianna elaborated. “By increasing root mass, depth, and suberin content, Salk scientists hope to transform crops and other plants to store more carbon.”

In order to be invited to take part in this groundbreaking work, Gianna submitted several pieces of classwork conducted in her Biology, Science Research, and Environmental Systems and Societies courses at Léman. When asked if she felt supported by her teachers in the pursuit of this internship, Gianna’s answer was simple: Yes! “The Science education that I’ve had at Léman was beneficial for this internship as I was able to enter the lab team with previous knowledge of several of the experiments. I used my knowledge of conducting a gel electrophoresis lab [that I learned from] Ms. Spicijaric, soil analysis, and climate conservation [that I learned from] Mr. Cekic, and continued mentorship and encouragement from Mr. Bonnar.”

All in all, we’re thrilled that Gianna had such a positive and highly-educational experience.

Great work, Gianna!

Img credit: Gianna G. '25