Christel Chehoud
Classifying and naming the bacteria that live in and on us is important to better understanding their role. Christel and her Ó³»´«Ã½ colleagues were able to help support the Human Microbiome Project in decreasing the number of unclassified Clostridiales genetic sequences from 26 to 8%.
Christel and her Ó³»´«Ã½ colleagues looked at the existing schemes for naming bacteria, known as taxonomy, and worked to improve our understanding of Clostridiales, a group of organisms that is very important in the human gut. Christel and her colleagues thought the existing taxonomic schemes could benefit from a revision. Conflicts in naming conventions – classifying the organism with confidence -- were systematically documented and resolved, allowing more accurate comparisons of microbial communities.
Getting More Out of the Human Microbiome Data: Untangling the 16S rRNA Gene Based Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Clostridiales
My second summer at the Ó³»´«Ã½ provided me with a great opportunity to grow both as a scientist and as a person. I learned what it means to conduct cutting-edge research in my field and felt the excitement from conducting such research. My experience allowed me to learn more about both bioinformatics and microbial ecology. I am grateful to everyone at the Ó³»´«Ã½ who helped make my summer a great one.
