Brenna McCormick photographed in a lab at the College of the Holy Cross on July 28, 2022 in Worcester, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Holy Cross)
As a student participating in the College’s Charles S. Weiss Summer Research Program, Brenna McCormick ‘24 spent eight weeks this summer working with Associate Professor of Biology Geoff Findlay to examine how a novel gene found in only a handful of fruit fly species has evolved to be a major player in fly reproduction. By understanding which genes are most essential for a fly’s reproductive ability, researchers are identifying potential targets of pesticides or genetic engineering to stop the spread of fly species that prey on fruit orchards. Her research builds off of the lab’s prior work, conducted with several Holy Cross students, that was supported with a grant from the National Science Foundation and published in the scientific journal Molecular Biology and Evolution in 2017.