Projects:  There are many interesting projects in the R-J lab that all revolve around the central question of how bacteria survive and multiply in their environmental home, whether that be a tsetse fly or a piece of cheese.  We are currently (2024-2027) working a big NIH-funded project that explores how Sodalis glossinidius, an intracellular symbiont of the tsetse fly, tolerates blood exposure.  Additionally some students in the lab are working on projects t-hat examine microbes that are important in food microbiology, particularly fermentation and cheese production. Dr. R-J spent part of her sabbatical in the Fall of 2023 learning about cheese production and cheese microbiology at Jasper Hill Farms and Cellars and the R-J lab is now characterizing some of the microbes from there.

You can find the R-J lab publication list here.

• FAQs:
  • What will I learn in the R-J lab?
    1.  Lab techniques in the areas of microbiology and molecular genetics.  These techniques include cloning genes, construction of directed mutations in the genome,  PCR, tissue culture, and analysis using the sequenced genomes. 
    2.  How to design and implement experiments
    3.  How to interpret data
    4.  How to present your research:  Over the past 14 years, UR students have been co-authors on numerous papers and many UR students have presented their research at regional or national microbiolgy meetings.
    5.  How to talk about science
    
  • What are other benefits of working in the R-J lab?  You will join a group of other undergraduates interested in probing the wonders of the microbial world.
    
  • How many hours per week do students work in the R-J lab?  The time commitment is 5-7 hours per week spread out over the week.
    
  • How long do students stay in the R-J lab?  Because of the training and learning curve associated with the research in the R-J lab, students are encouraged to join the lab for at least 1-2 semesters and 8 weeks in the summer (see below).
    
  • How does staying for the summer work?  If you stay for the summer, you work 40 hours per week and are paid for your work for 6-8 weeks.  There is on campus housing that you can stay in for a fee.
    
  • Can I get course credit for research in the R-J lab?  If you sign up under BIO394, Currently, you can receive 0.5 units of course credit for the research (pass/fail) that you do in the lab for a semester.  You can take BIOL394 up to 8 times.
    
  • Can I go to scientific conferences with the R-J lab?  Yes.  Click here.
    
  • Do students in the R-J lab ever publish there results?  Yes.  Click here.
    
  • Can I contact current students in the R-J lab to talk about their experiences in the lab?  Yes.  Click here for the link to the current student page.
    
  • What do students do after they leave the R-J lab? Click here.
    

   

   

• If you are interested in being part of the research in the R-J lab, please email me at lrunyenj@richmond.edu to set up an appointment to talk with me.