Westminster College student Emma Parker spent 10 weeks at Texas A&M University (TAMU) over the summer identifying deubiquitinating proteins for the ubiquitin-like protein UFM-1 through a National Science Foundation-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.
Parker, a senior biochemistry major and honors student from Poolesville, Md., worked in the laboratory of TAMU’s Gradipore Chair of Chemistry Dr. Wenshe Liu and was mentored by graduate student Swatadipta Chakraborty.
In Liu’s lab, she attempted to conduct protein identification and discover unknown deubiquitinates (DUBS) that would associate with the protein UFM-1. She utilized different techniques such as liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and proteomics to seek identification.