University of Massachusetts Lowell 3 articles published in JoVE Genetics C. elegans Gonad Dissection and Freeze Crack for Immunofluorescence and DAPI Staining Deepshikha Ananthaswamy*1, Jaime C. Croft*1, Natilia Woozencroft1, Teresa W. Lee1 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell This is a commonly used method for C. elegans gonad dissection followed by freeze crack, which produces germline samples for immunofluorescence via antibody staining, or for simple DAPI staining to visualize DNA. This protocol has been successful for undergraduates in a research lab and in a course-based undergraduate research experience. Bioengineering Open-source Toolkit: Benchtop Carbon Fiber Microelectrode Array for Nerve Recording Julianna M. Richie1, Paras R. Patel1, Elissa J. Welle1, Tianshu Dong2, Lei Chen3, Albert J. Shih2, Cynthia A. Chestek1,4,5,6 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 4Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 5Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 6Robotics Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Here, we describe fabrication methodology for customizable carbon fiber electrode arrays for recording in vivo in nerve and brain. Biology Extraction of Venom and Venom Gland Microdissections from Spiders for Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses Jessica E. Garb1 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell This article provides a protocol for the extraction of venom from spiders using electrical stimulation in order to 1) conduct proteomic characterization, 2) stimulate venom gland gene expression, and 3) perform functional studies of venoms. This is followed by a description of venom gland microdissections for gene expression studies.