Student Spotlight | Sowmya Duddu

By: Kirti Chamkura

Sowmya Duddu

Senior, Biology Major

For this week’s AED spotlight, I interviewed Sowmya Duddu who received the “Outstanding Research Presentation” award at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted at Rice University last month. Her research entailed the development of Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Zika virus in mosquitoes in Eastern Ethiopia. Within Ethiopia, Malaria is an ever-present epidemic and there are 60 million new cases per year. The mosquitos were originally found in India but there is nothing that is preventing them from spreading. The Malaria Lab will focus on the development and application of molecular tools to better understand the transmission of malaria in unique endemic settings. Samples are collected in the field and genetic analysis is performed to answer questions related to parasite and vector species composition, insecticide and antimalarial resistance, and host and vector population history and movement, among other epidemiological and biological relevant factors for the spread of malaria.

The research question at hand pertains to Wolbachia in the Ae. Egyptian population in eastern Ethiopia and how similar/diverse is the Wolbachia found? As for methodology, 20 mosquitos from locations in eastern Ethiopia were surveyed and were a mix of wild-caught adults and lab-raised adults. Sowyma says, “She has loved doing research and offers a different perspective into science and detail-oriented work.” Research is an excellent segue into the clinical or research world for anyone pursuing a pre-health profession.

In terms of how to get involved, Sowyma advises that persistence is key. Ask around and ensure to be respectful of faculty's time but also show a vested interest because even if one person does not have an opportunity, it is likely they have resources or information as to the next steps you can take to get involved in research at Baylor. It is attainable if you want it enough, and a big enhancement to the already wonderful pre-health education provided here at Baylor!

Feel free to reach out to sowyma_duddu1@baylor.edu if you have any questions!