Meeting Missouri Sen. Brian Williams was a highlight of the UM System’s Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol for senior Kyliyah Walker. A biology major, Walker presented her research on Poecilia mexicana, a species of live-bearing fish that have adapted to surviving in hydrogen sulfide-abundant waters. (Photo courtesy of UM System)

Initially, Kyliyah Walker was pretty nervous at the idea of presenting her research at the at the Missouri State Capitol last Thursday. Preparing for the annual event marked the first time the University of Missouri–St. Louis junior had ever conducted research, let alone presented it.

But Walker’s nerves were quickly calmed once she arrived at the Capitol. Rather than giving a formal presentation to a large crowd, she answered questions about her research poster one on one, mingled with other students in the University of Missouri System and met Sen. Brian Williams – one of her favorite parts of the event.

Walker, who is studying biology, presented her research on the effect of diet on hydrogen sulfide tolerance of extremophile fishes. She began studying Poecilia mexicana, a species of live-bearing fish that have adapted to surviving in hydrogen sulfide-abundant waters, when she started interning in the Tobler Lab last summer. That soon turned into a job.

“Over thousands of years, they’ve adapted to live in these types of waters,” Walker said. “So, I’m wondering if diet has an effect on how well they tolerate hydrogen sulfide, because hydrogen sulfide has an effect on resource availability, such as their food sources, because it’s a really toxic chemical. So, with lower resource availability, such as food, it affects their physiological traits and makes them smaller, less bright, things like that, compared to fish who don’t live in these toxic waters.”

Walker has enjoyed the opportunity to conduct research and work with master’s and PhD students who have helped guide her throughout her undergraduate experience, connecting her with valuable STEM resources and giving advice on applying to grad school. She also knows the research she’s conducting could have a broader impact.

“In conservation biology, we have this term we call option value,” Walker said. “Option value is the value we place on an organism or a habitat for something that could potentially provide us with value in the future, even if we don’t know what it is yet. Who knows what we can discover by studying organisms we share our planet with.”

Walker hopes to make a career out of research and feels that participating in the Undergraduate Research Day was a big step in making that a reality. The grad students she works with in the Tobler Lab frequently impress upon her the importance of presenting research and sharing it with others. She encourages other undergraduates to find similar opportunities to get involved outside of the classroom, whether in a lab, internship or volunteer work.

“I would definitely encourage undergraduates in STEM to actively participate in internships, get involved in research and have extracurriculars under your belt because it’s very important to have experience alongside your degree,” she said. “It is very important to have experience when you graduate because employers are looking for not just a degree; they are looking for experience as well. That’s the best piece of advice I could give to anybody pursuing STEM careers.”