Student Spotlight: Zahra Vaughn

Zahra Vaughn returned to Cayuga this spring for one course and one course only. She knew it would be a challenge, but she also knew the unique experience would help her prepare for what comes next.

After previously attending Cayuga, Zahra transferred to the Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated in 2022 with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. This spring she was back at Cayuga for a biological research course, working one-on-one with Dr. Krista Giglio.

The topic? Microbial forensics, specifically the effect of location on microbial populations and its potential use in death investigations, Zahra’s chosen career path. For her research, she’s using Cayuga Lake, and how its water and sediment influence microbial species diversity on decaying organic materials. 

“We’re looking at what becomes more abundant the longer the material is submerged, and how the microbes impact each other and the organic material,” said Dr. Giglio. “This is great experience for a student, because they get to plan, design and implement research techniques as it relates to a specific question or topic.”

This research project, and her pursuit of a master’s degree starting this fall at Syracuse University, will play a role in Zahra’s eventual goal of becoming a medicolegal death investigator. 

“I’ve always been interested in this field since I was in high school, but I never knew there were specific majors that connected to it,” said Zahra. “I happened to discover it by chance, and the more I learned and researched, the more my interest grew. Conducting this research here is a huge help for me.”

The pair first met when Zahra previously attended Cayuga, and they stayed in contact after Zahra transferred to RIT. Ahead of the spring semester, Zahra registered for the research course and the two developed the research plan.

Working out of the Auburn Campus, they submerged porcine intestine in chambers containing lake water with sediment and chambers containing distilled water as their control. They harvest bacterial samples from the porcine at scheduled intervals to study microbial growth and species diversity over the course of four weeks and with respect to the environment where the intestine was submerged.  After harvesting the bacteria, they will extract DNA from the samples for sequencing in order to identify the species present.

Eventually, their research could be used to determine the length of time organic matter has been submerged in the water through the stages of microbial succession and potentially be able to identify indicator species specific to Cayuga Lake. They’re hoping the research can be published once it’s complete.

Zahra thanked Dr. Giglio for her support and help with the project, and said it was exciting to work on research connected with her next degree and future career.

“Krista has been incredibly supportive, both when I was here previously, while I was at RIT and since we started working on this project,” said Zahra. “It’s rewarding to conduct specific research that’s linked to your future career, and to do so while working with a professor who believes in you.”