Anna Newcome is a rising senior majoring in environmental science and plant biology, spending the summer researching with UCARE and Dr. Jeff Mower. Her project explores how reintroducing methyl anthranilate (MA), a key compound responsible for strawberries’ fruity aroma, can enhance the flavor and quality of modern cultivated strawberries. Throughout this process, Newcome has taken the lead on groundwork, including planting strawberries and tracking their growth, running DNA isolations, and conducting polymerase chain reactions in the lab. Her work has enabled her to determine the expression of MA and will allow her to cross-pollinate plants to evaluate its impacts. Newcome is especially excited about the broader agricultural implications. “Ultimately, this approach could be extended to other quality traits in strawberries and other polyploid crops, driving broader agricultural advancements. Thus, improving the desirability of fruits, benefiting both commercial and local growers,” she shared. Looking forward, Newcome hopes to build on this research as she continues developing her technical expertise in the lab and prepares for graduate school, where she hopes to conduct her own studies. “Working in labs on campus gives me the opportunity to gain experience early on,” she said. “I am currently thinking about going into Phytoremediation, so a background in Biochemistry and Plant genetics is super important!”