Meet Naya Martin, a senior biochemistry major with a minor in mathematics. Her involvement on campus is extensive, as she plays for the women’s soccer team, serves as a resident assistant, and is involved with the American Chemical Society, CHAMPS, Student Government, the Chinese Club, the Women’s Leadership Conference, the Mathematics Association of America, Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, and Panhellenic Council.

Naya is working with Dr. Stuart Gordon, assistant professor of biology, for her research. Dr. Gordon received a grant from the South Carolina IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence to do a pilot bioinformatics study that funds the DNA sequencing and some supplies for the project. With these funds and supplies, Naya Martin is exploring the gut microbiome, or microorganism, of Antarctic ice fish with the hopes of identifying what bacteria reside there and the role they play in the microbiome.

Naya’s research is important because not much is known about how these unique fishes are affected by their microbiomes. Their unique physiology is a model for studying medically relevant conditions such as anemia and osteoporosis in humans.

Martin hopes to attend medical school once she graduates, and she believes that her research project will help her achieve that goal. “This research is important to me because I have been given the opportunity to find significant information and build knowledge within the science community. My goal for this summer is to make a contribution to the developing knowledge of microbes.”

Be a researcher. Be a Blue Hose.

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