Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Johan Zhang

Evolution of the Lateral Line Canal-Tubule System in Extinct Devonian Sarcopterygian and Extant Early Actinopterygian Fishes

The lateral line system is a sensory system in fish that allows them to detect movement, vibrations, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. This system becomes crucial when studying the various behaviors such as navigating, hunting, or avoiding predators. My work this summer at the Liu Lab will consist of segmenting these lateral line canals and branching tubules using a software called Avizo. By doing so, we hope to identify any evolutionary adaptations, functionalities, or phylogenetic relationships between ancient and modern fishes.

 

Message To Sponsor

I truly cannot express how grateful I am for your generous support this summer in allowing me to further my research in the lateral line system of fishes. It has been undoubtedly a transformative experience for me, both academically and personally. While I do have plans to attend med school, through this program I was able to gain many valuable research skills while working alongside many talented mentors. Your contribution not only made this possible, but also allowed me to pursue a subject that I was really passionate in. Once again, thank you for believing in me and giving me the chance to grow and make meaningful contributions to our field of fish biology :)