The project, originally started by alumna Emily Beltz '22, MHS ‘23, investigates how a control protein called RpoS regulates gene activity during Coxiella growth.

Reed, along with Christian Eggers, Ph.D., professor of biomedical sciences and a couple of students are conducting experiments using E. coli and a safe strain of Coxiella.

Beltz contributed significantly to the project's preliminary work through her BMS master’s thesis. Her research was presented at the Pioneer Valley Microbiology Symposium in March 2024 and the American Society for Rickettsiology in July 2024.

The grant will support student research assistants, specialized lab materials, and advanced techniques necessary for publishing the findings in scholarly journals.

“I was honored to be awarded this grant, and especially excited that it highlights the excellent scholarship performed by the undergraduate and graduate students at Quinnipiac and allows me to hire students as research team members,” said Dr. Reed. “Projects like this advance our knowledge of microbiology and help us train students for their careers as scientists.”

Coxiella biology has been a central focus of Dr. Reed’s researching, since 2019 she’s mentored over thirty undergraduate and graduate students on different research projects related to Coxiella biology.

“The grant has allowed me to hire a student to work as a technician, which enables her to gain research training experience for her next job, said Dr. Reed. “It also allowed me to get special and customized reagents that I would normally not be able to afford, which has made the project move much faster than other student research.”

In addition to the hired student, Dr. Reed took on two students from her BMS479 course to work on the project as part of their coursework.

Are you interested in working on the project next fall or spring semester? Reach out to Professor Reed via email here, or register for Cell Culture Techniques (BMS 481) or Microbiology Seminar (299).