My experience at the Pest & Environmental Adaptation Research Group (PEARG)

Author – Daniel Oppermann – undergraduate student, RMIT

As an undergraduate student in a STEM degree, I had no idea what to expect from the workplace as I have no prior industry experience. I was nervous to begin my 2 week work experience program at the Pest & Environmental Adaptation Research Group (PEARG) in the Bio21 Institute, however I was relieved when I was met with a very warm welcome from the staff and students working in the labs.

Over the course of the past 2 weeks, I have experienced and learnt many new things, most of which I had previously no experience with. In my Associate’s Degree of Applied Science at RMIT the most I had ever done was perform gel electrophoresis and conventional PCR, which is only a small portion of the work done in the PEARG labs. The techniques used range from real-time and digital PCR, DNA and RNA extraction procedures (including the use of reverse transcription to produce cDNA for testing), and the use of the EZ2 machine to automate extraction processes as a way to streamline the efficiency and efficacy of lab procedures. Furthermore, in the insect labs I learnt how to rear and culture insects from existing colonies and from field samples, having worked with aphids, spider mites, moths and parasitoid wasps.

There are multiple projects which require the use of these techniques, two of which I worked on include the Australian Grains Pest Innovation Program (AGPIP) and the Wolbachia release project (otherwise called the Saudi project). AGPIP focuses on reducing the effect of viral diseases on crops for agricultural and horticultural purposes, using endosymbiont bacteria that infect aphids and other small insects to fight viral transmission. This is similar to the Saudi project; however, the main focus isn’t crops but humans, and the aim is to reduce the transmission of dengue fever using Wolbachia pipientis, which is able to reduce the infection of dengue virus in mosquitoes which are the vector of the disease. Both projects have important real world impacts, hoping to help better the lives of people across the globe by increasing crop yields and decreasing deadly viral infections in the population.

I have learnt a lot during my experience here, with my pipetting skills improving beyond what I could have managed in my university practical labs, as well as my attention to detail and awareness of contamination. I learnt how to operate many different machines, and how to perform techniques which I hadn’t even heard of before, and I saw in real time how scientists collaborate with one another to troubleshoot problems, achieve outcomes, and work towards a common goal. Moreover, I now have a plethora of knowledge regarding the use of endosymbiont bacteria to fight viral infections in affected organisms, and I can now also distinguish the different stages in the life cycles of half a dozen insects, as well as distinguish what sex a specimen may be according to its anatomy.

The wealth of knowledge I have had access to has inspired me to pursue a career in academia. Being able to use different techniques, procedures and equipment in the lab to produce results that will not only broaden the science community’s knowledge on a given subject, but also potentially effect change in the lives of those around me, is an exciting prospect, and one I intend to follow as I move on to my Bachelor’s Degree of Science next year, and who knows where else after?

A special thanks to all the staff and students of the PEARG labs, with special mention to Dr Nancy Endersby-Harshman and Dr Qiong Yang for organising all of my activities during the experience, and also Monica Stelmach, Kelly Richardson, Alex Gill, Mel Brennan, and Jasmeen Kaur for patiently showing me the ropes and for showing me compassion as a new, and often times stumbling, student.