Jenna is in her fourth year and will be completing her Honours in Biology at Dalhousie University and a minor at the University of King’s College in Early Modern Studies and Art History. She has been volunteering in the Gunawardena lab since October 2019, identifying DNA sequences of the genes of interest in lace plant development. For her Honours project, she is using next gen sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics to compare differentially expressed genes in NPCD and PCD cells across lace plant leaf stages.

She first became interested in plant development after taking the courses: Diversity of Microorganisms and Plants and Developmental Biology. More recently, she took Plant Cell Biology (taught by Dr. Arunika Gunawardena), which gave her the opportunity to conduct an independent research project leading to her interest in PCD and its developmentally regulated function in Aponogeton madagascariensis (aquatic lace plant).

Outside of the lab, Jenna is an avid film photographer with publications in independent magazines. She volunteers at the Museum of Natural History, Halifax Sexual Health Centre, and Dalhousie Art Gallery. In the near, yet distant future, Jenna hopes to pursue graduate studies in Biology or Art Curation.