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Corey is a senior environmental science major
with a minor in chemistry. He spent 10 weeks in Utah this summer collecting halophyte
(salt-loving) plants from the salt flats on the Great Salt Lake and analyzing their
roots for symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi. First he cleaned the roots with warm dilute
KOH (potassium hydroxide) and then stained the roots with chlorazol black E and trypan
indicators. The indicator reacts with the cell walls of the fungi to produce a distinct
color. Then the fungi are counted using a microscopic grid-intersection method. This
process has led Corey to believe that he has identified a unique species of fungus.
The symbiotic relationship is called harvest mutualism, where the plant and fungus
exchange nutrients: the fungus provides phosphorus to the plant and the plant feeds
the fungi with sugars. Corey says the experience gave him the opportunity to propose a
method to test his hypothesis and work independently. There were 11 other students in
the group from all over the U.S.
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