Student Technician

Texas A&M University System•College Station, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This Student Technician position at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, within the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture-Project Management department in College Station, Texas, is a student worker role. The position offers hands-on experience in laboratory settings, focusing on preparing plant samples for various analyses including mass spectrometry (LC/MC, GC/MS, HPLC, ICP-MS) and molecular biology (DNA/RNA isolation, PCR, quantitative real-time PCR). Responsibilities also include plant propagation, growth, maintenance, trait measurement, and general lab upkeep such as washing glassware, sterilizing materials, maintaining supplies, and preparing solutions. Students will receive guidance from senior researchers, participate in lab meetings to engage in scientific discussions and project planning, and gain exposure to data interpretation and software usage for analytical instruments and DNA sequence alignment. Work and study space will be provided in the new Borlaug building on the Texas A&M campus.

Requirements

Life Science Major
Completed freshman biology or chemistry
Organized and efficient
Willing to work up to 20 hours per week, 2-4 days per week including summer

Nice To Haves

Previous lab experience
Understanding basic chemistry, sterile technique, and general genetics
Freshman or Sophomore preferred

Responsibilities

Prepares plant sample using digestion methods for mass spectrometry such as LC/MC, GC/MS, HPLC, ICP-MS
Homogenizing and weighing samples
Prepares samples for DNA and RNA isolation for basic molecular biology including PCR and quantitative real-time PCR
Participates in plant propagation, plant growth, maintaining plants, and measuring plant traits for downstream statistical analyses
Washes glassware and instruments, sterilizing glassware and other lab materials in autoclaves
Maintaining lab supplies
Prepare solutions and media