Joseph Piccolo is a Senior majoring in Physics. He was awarded a Summer 2019 Conference Grant which he used to attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) . I work with the Emory Physics Department as an undergraduate researcher. My principal investigator, Dr. Laura Finzi, specializes in biophysics. Biophysics is the study of biological systems, such as a strand of DNA, using physics approaches. In the Finzi lab, we study the mechanics of DNA and epigenetic gene regulation. One way we study these topics is through the use of magnetic tweezers. In these studies, we attach a microscopic magnet to a single strand of DNA and exert forces on it using a macroscopic magnet we control in the lab. Additionally, we measure how the DNA responds to these forces. Traditionally, magnetic tweezers have been bar magnets mounted on the data collection microscope. The bar magnet is moved around the sample by mechanical motors, allowing us to generate forces on the DNA. ...