| Biography |
|---|
| My name is Owen Robison and I am in my senior year of high school. I attend Centennial CVI in Guelph. I am an athlete on the rugby team for my school. Go Spartans! I have been involved in my community assisting and promoting the Smile Train charity. I work out of my school’s lab. If I’m not in the lab or at practice I’m at the gym engaged in my favourite hobby, weightlifting. Next year I will go off to either Western (UWO) or McMaster University for Molecular Biology and Genetics. Afterwards, I will pursue a DVM at the OVC in Guelph. During and after my post grad studies I want to work for a veterinary clinic with companion animals. My project deals with tardigrades which are microscopic invertebrates. I’ve always had an interest in these critters as they are hyped to be indestructible. The idea for my project came from the controversy in science magazines concerning tardigrades exhibiting high amounts of horizontal gene transfer. |
| Owen Robison
Detection of DNA Integtration in Tardigrades after Anhydrobiosis
| Challenge: | Discovery | | Category: | Senior | | Region: | Waterloo-Wellington | | City: | Guelph, ON | | School: | Centennial Collegiate & Vocational Institute | | Abstract: | This project looks at the possible link between a process called anhydrobiosis and the uptake of foreign DNA. Upon subsequent rehydration after anhydrobiosis, tardigrades are exposed to plasmids that contain different promoters. I hypothesize that anhydrobiosis is linked to horizontal gene transfer. The experimental results showed that there may be some expression of foreign DNA from treated tardigrades. |
| Awards | Value | Excellence Award - Senior
Silver Medal
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | | Challenge Award - Discovery
Senior
Sponsor: Youth Science Canada | | Dalhousie University Faculty of Science Entrance Scholarship
Senior Silver Medallist - $2500 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Dalhousie University, Faculty of Science | $2 500.00 | UBC Science (Vancouver) Entrance Award
Senior Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) | $2 000.00 | University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship
Senior Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: University of Ottawa | $2 000.00 | Western University Scholarship
Silver Medallist - $2000 Entrance Scholarship
Sponsor: Western University | $2 000.00 | | Total | $8 500.00 | |
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