Name: Madeline Nobert
Class Year: 2026
Major: Biology, Minor: Spanish
Hometown: New York
Internship Organization: The E3B Program at Columbia University
Internship Title: The Eaton Lab
Location: New York, NY
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I am currently working at the Eaton Lab in the Department of Ecology, Environment, and Evolutionary Biology at Columbia University under the guidance of Dr. David Timerman. Our research focuses on two highly problematic weeds in the genus Amaranthus: A. palmeri and A. tuberculatus. These plants are a significant concern for farmers because they spread and grow rapidly, are resistant to many herbicides, and have expanding ranges worldwide. Additionally, Amaranthus species regularly hybridize, potentially spreading herbicide resistance genes between them. These two species have independently evolved separate sexes and we are interested in how their different sex determination systems interact in hybrids. My work this summer has involved extracting DNA from hybrid plants and testing male-specific molecular markers which can be used to determine the sex of young plants before they have flowered. I have also grown many plants from seed and cared for them in the university鈥檚 growth facilities. I am excited by this research as it has the potential to contribute significantly to managing and limiting the spread of these invasive weeds.
Why did you apply for this internship?
Biology has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, but there are so many different ways to approach it. I did not have much experience in botany prior to this internship, but I jumped at the opportunity to get a hands-on introduction to plant genetics. I don't know where my path of scientific discovery will take me, but I want to try as many different angles as possible.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?
A significant challenge has been to develop a system for organizing our protocols and data in a way that still makes sense several weeks later. In the lab, we need to keep track of seeds and leaf tissue from hundreds of different plants. Proper record-keeping is essential! It has been challenging to figure out how to describe my daily tasks clearly and concisely in the lab notebook we keep as a team. Sometimes, what makes sense to me might be utterly confusing to others, or I might find my own notes indecipherable a few days later. No matter how well worded notes are, they are useless if they can鈥檛 be read, so clear handwriting is a necessity!
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
It has been extremely engaging to work with people who are very passionate about what they do. In the Eaton lab, there are several different research projects being carried out by a variety of postdocs, graduate students, and students from Columbia and Barnard. It can be quite busy in the lab with so many people working on different things, and we have to take care to keep track of what materials are being used for what project. However, each team is approaching the botanical world from a different angle, which means we can all rely on each other for advice and suggestions.
Career & Civic Engagement Biology Spanish