Cailyn Zamora is currently entering her fourth year of her BSc in Marine biology with concentrated honours at Dalhousie University. Cailyn was first exposed to the topic of PCD and the new model species, the lace plant, during a talk from Dr. Gunawardena to her Dalhousie Integrated Science Program (DISP). She was quickly captivated by the plant kingdom. Since then she has taken courses in Plant Diversity which furthered her knowledge and passion for this area of science. She also continued her work in the microbiology field through her exchange opportunity where she completed a research internship on amphioxus embryo gut development through Sarbonne University, France. Cailyn is always seeking new and interesting ways to work in biology and gain hands on experience.

Cailyn is an active member of the Dalhousie Association of Marine Biology Students and has held an executive position there for the last two years. She is also a member of the Golden Key Academic Society which acknowledges students with the top averages in their field of study. Cailyn has been on the Dean’s List for all three years of her undergraduate studies and enjoys the academic environment. She received NSERC/USRA award and the Sarah Lawson Scholarship for botany research for the summer of 2018. Through her summer research and continuing into the academic year as an honours student, Cailyn will strive to determine the ploidy of the lace plant as well as determine the number of chromosomes. She is very excited to work on the genetics of this emerging model species and contribute to the work of this lab.

Cailyn is excited to gain new experience, develop her scientific knowledge and increase her understanding of practical techniques in biology to help prepare her for future Master’s studies.