Julian Somers - Undergraduate Researcher

I am an undergraduate with a major in Biochemistry and a minor in Psychology. I joined the Beilstein lab after taking Molecular and Cellular Biology with Dr. Beilstein the first semester of my freshman year. I am currently working with Kyle Palos, a graduate student in the lab, to study the function of a long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA) in Arabidopsis thaliana. This lincRNA is conserved across the plant family Brassicaceae, and appears to be involved in early plant development. I have been working to generate mutant alleles that will help us understand more about this lincRNA.
During my free time, I enjoy playing piano, practicing martial arts, watching anime, listening to music, and partaking in a few other hobbies. I also like spending time with my siblings and friends. I have two adorable Shih tzu and Pomeranian mix dogs named Cocoa and Biscuit, whom I love coming home to.
The picture is from a Shotokan karate camp I went to last summer. I am the girl on the left, and the man on the right is Nagatomo-sensei, a 7th degree black belt and exceptional sensei (teacher).