Spotlight On...
The Spotlight series was created in 2009 as a way of building camaraderie in our department and as a way of communicating our unique departmental culture to prospective students and visitors. Featuring current graduate students, postdoctoral associates, technical staff, and administrative staff it showcases the broad interests and talent of our many department members. In April of 2015, we launched our first online version.
Kyle Swovick
August 2018
I work in the Ghaemmaghami Lab. We utilize mass spectrometry-based techniques to investigate protein homeostasis. In particular, I study the conservation of protein turnover to understand the relationship between protein turnover and aging.
Tara Finegan
July 2018
Broadly, I am interested in how cells behave in the context of tissues and how cells act collectively to build and maintain tissue structures. In the Bergstralh Lab, we’ve found that cells in some tissues break a decades-old rule of cell biology: their shape doesn’t dictate the direction in which they divide. I have been working to understand how and why this rule is being broken.
Allyson Withey
June 2018
I am the Course Coordinator for the Undergraduate Program. My primary duties include providing instructors with Blackboard, classroom, and exam support. I also provide coordination and support for approximately 90 teaching assistants per semester, manage student enrollment, and function as the department liaison to the Registrar’s office.
Samuel DeSantis
May 2018
Our lab investigates the molecular mechanisms behind aging and cancer in a variety of unique species like the adorable Naked Mole Rat. These little guys live an exceptionally long time for rodents and are extremely resistant to cancer.
Nicole Dawney
April 2018
Our lab looks at tissue morphogenesis and tissue development. I am using mouse intestinal organoids as a model system to look at how cell division influences tissue shape in this system.
Matthew Johnson
March 2018
My current research in the Welte Lab focuses on understanding how lipids are involved in regulating nuclear histone accumulation during early embryogenesis.
Jenna Lentini
February 2018
Currently, I am working to understand the role of putative human tRNA modification enzymes in vivo and how defects in proper modification status can cause human disorders.
Stephan Emmrich
January 2018
I am comparing naked mole rat blood and skin stem cells to those of wild type BL6 mice, rats, and a mouse model overexpressing Hyalur