After spending the spring semester in the Harrison lab part-time through a research-based class at Lansing, Tom returned full-time to continue his project for the summer. Tom worked directly with Maria Harrison to study Medicago truncatula mutants in order to gain useful insight regarding phenotypes of roots, leaves, and the mycorrhizal association. Specifically, he mainly worked with a mutation called “chicken feet”, which occurs in the roots of mutant plants.

When asked about his hobbies, Tom responded emphatically, “I love to unicycle!” He added that unicycling only compliments his clown dreams, which also include juggling and using a Chinese yoyo.