Dr. Patrella studies how environmental stressors like elevated temperatures can affect fertility in different species. As climate change leads to increased global temperatures, this field of study can help predict how and where species loss may occur. She studies three different species of C. elegans (nematode worm) to observe the effects of varied environmental stressors.
Dr. Patrella is working with the Updike lab this summer because of their experience in making novel transgenic tools using CRISPR-Cas systems and their proficiency in teaching these systems to undergrads.
