COSAM News Articles 2022 April Dylan Warner – 2022 Outstanding COSAM Learning Assistant (Cellular/Molecular Biology)

Dylan Warner – 2022 Outstanding COSAM Learning Assistant (Cellular/Molecular Biology)

Published: 04/18/2022

Dylan Warner is a senior graduating with a bachelor of science degree in microbial, cellular and molecular biology (cell and molecular biology option, or MCCM).

Dylan is currently researching herbicide resistance in weeds in Scott McElroy’s Herbicide Resistance Diagnostic Lab and has studied plant microbial interaction in Zachary Noel and Mark Liles’ labs. In Dr. McElroy’s lab, they are tracking resistance in populations of herbicide resistant weeds found on golf courses across the Southeast.

At Auburn, Dylan is a member of the plant pathology and entomology club and serves as microbiology club vice president and as a COSAM undergraduate research ambassador.

Off campus, Dylan helps with the audio-visual systems at his church. He is a camp counselor at Camp Rap-A-Hope, a summer camp in Mobile for children with cancer, and he also plans to volunteer at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center over the summer.

Dylan is currently in his sixth semester as an undergraduate learning assistant and has been a learning assistant mentor for two semesters. He has served as a learning assistant for Biology I, Microbiology, Organismal Biology and Organic Chemistry II.

When asked what he enjoys most about being an undergraduate learning assistant, Dylan said, “My favorite part is working closely with students and watching them understand the concepts that they had a hard time with in class. Getting a refresher of previous concepts is also a bonus.”

Following graduation, Dylan plans on working as a laboratory technician over the summer and fall and then pursuing a PhD in a fungal or plant genetics lab. One day, he would love to study truffles and develop their range of growth in the US, as well as see them used in a dual cropping system with pecans.