Manasa Donepudi

Hello, my name is Manasa Donepudi, and this summer, I worked with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. I specifically worked with the Bonito Lab to study the effects of organic fungal volatile compounds (VOCs) on the growth of switchgrass and sorghum germlings. VOCs are gases or particles released into the air from various products, such as fungi, in this case. It is essential to further our understanding of VOCs effects as plant scientists can narrow down the best conditions to grow both species, which are bioenergy crops that aid in producing biofuels. We focused on measuring the effects of the VOCs on switchgrass and sorghum through measurements like fresh weights of shoot and root or the number of secondary roots. I used two growth methods - one with test tubes and the other with Petri dishes. First, I would prepare the environment by placing mesh in the test tube and sand in the Petri dish. I would then inoculate the chosen environment with a designated fungal species and place the seeds. Once the plants finished their fifteen-day growth cycles, we would use the tidyverse package in R to generate graphs and perform statistical analysis with one-way ANOVA. Throughout these procedures, my mentor and all of the Bonito Lab offered great advice and assistance to make my project run smoothly, leading me to learn much about the process of conducting research. 

Besides the amazing research I had the opportunity to accomplish, I had a wonderful experience making friends and connections. I had a good time going on various adventures and having fun with everyone along the way. This experience showed me that I want to go to graduate school and hopefully in a place with the same positive and nurturing environment as Michigan State University. Thanks for all the memories!