Kayla Work

Kayla Tyler

Foci: Microscopy, tardigrade myoanatomy, algal cultivation

Degree Sought: B.S. in Biochemistry and Biological Sciences

Role:
Undergraduate Student Researcher, Senior

Date:
Spring 2022-Present

Current Funding:
ASSURE Fund for Chemistry (2023-2024)

Extracurricular Interests:
Skydiving, music

Tardigrade Myoanatomy

Kayla works in tandem with Brendin to investigate the changes in tardigrade muscular organization upon entrance into different physiological states. To do this, she images tardigrades labelled with fluorescent dyes using a confocal microscope, allowing for the production of three-dimensional representations of the tardigrade myoantomy. She hopes that the information gleaned from this works will aid in our understanding of how tardigrades respond to their environments to mediate their tolerance towards stressful conditions.

Myoanatomy of a Hydrated Tardigrade: This image was produced by taking a z-stack on the Leica SP5 confocal microscope in the Marshall University Molecular and Biological Imaging Center.