Research fellow: Ekta Chugh
Hometown: Jalandhar, India
School: Bryant University
Major: Pre-med, Accounting
Mentor: Christopher Reid
Project: Exploring microscopic life at the edge — Analysis of an estuarine microbial community

Ekta Chugh only has one year of undergraduate studies behind her and yet, she describes her RI EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) project with all the deft of a seasoned student.

She is helping collect soil and water samples at India Point Park and Oxford Street, both urban coastal sites in Providence with a common history of contamination, to identify microscopic organisms and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur. Tracking what lies within and beneath the surface will provide greater understanding of the effects of metal contamination in Narragansett Bay’s intertidal areas and the role climate change may play.

“The pollution is altering the microbial community and the level of nutrients is increasing,” explains Chugh. “This can clog up the water and deprive it of oxygen.”

When she first began in the lab, Ekta Chugh did not know how to operate a pipette, a common laboratory tool used to measure and dispense liquid. Today, along with having mastered the technique, she is perfecting such lab skills as DNA extraction.

Chugh says she heard about the SURF program her first day on campus in the fall, when she met former fellow Drew Phelan, and knew instantly she had to apply for the research opportunity.

“I want to be a cardio thoracic surgeon,” she says. “I talk to my parents daily, and tell them I am doing all of this. It’s amazing and totally exciting. I’m learning a lot.”

Even an early misstep offered a valuable opportunity to grow, both personally and as a scientist.

During her first week, Chugh worked daily on samples, but achieved no results. It wasn’t until she found out that her timing was off with adding a chemical that she realized what she was doing wrong, stopping the reaction before it started and preventing any results.

She laughs now at the memory, saying she spent that first weekend in tears. But, by Monday, she was back in the lab, full of enthusiasm and with a lesson well learned.

When she first began in the lab, Chugh says, she did not even know how to operate a pipette, a laboratory tool used to measure and dispense liquid. In India, her only experience had been with a mouth pipette, using the mouth rather than the equipment to suck up and then move liquids.

“And now,” exclaims Chugh, “I’m extracting DNA, working with RNA! Honestly, SURF is such a great opportunity, I want to apply for a fellowship next summer as well.”

Looking ahead, Chugh intends to pursue medical school, a natural fit for a young woman who remembers playing with stethoscopes instead of dolls and taking a deep interest in cardiology during her grandfather’s illness and eventual death from heart disease.

“But,” she says, “I know the acceptance rate is very low. So I’m doing accounting as a backup plan. I can work for an accounting firm for two or three years and then go to med school.”

Story by Amy Dunkle | Courtesy photo