Hey biologists!
Welcome to the first Biology Student Group (BSG) newsletter of the 2022-2023 school year! We are a group of students who are passionate about making the biology community welcome and accessible, and operate as a bridge between the biology students and faculty. The BSG Newsletter collects information about biology department events, highlights faculty and students in the department, and collects other relevant information for the year!
Welcome back to campus! We hope you all had an amazing summer break, but are excited to get back to another year of biology! We’ve got a wonderful speaker planned this quarter, see below:
Thursday, September 22, 2022 (talks (4:00 - 5:00), self-guided poster presentations (5:30 - 6:30), student panel (6:30 - 7:00), KINSC)
Our annual research symposium consists of talks, poster presentations, and a student panel. If you cannot attend, posters will be up until September 31st for viewing. QR codes will accompany each poster where you can listen to a 3 minute audio recording about the poster. The student panel will consist of summer researchers if anyone has questions about on or off campus summer research! If you are interested in giving a talk (registration deadline September 9th) or having a poster (registration deadline September 17th), email Marielle Latrick (mlatrick@haverford.edu) for registration links and additional information!
Invited Speaker Dr. Hannah Reich:
Monday, September 26 (2:30 - 4:00, Sharpless Auditorium)
Dr. Hannah Reich at the University of New Hampshire, hosted by the Whalen Lab; check out her website here. Hannah is a marine biologist that studies symbioses and has a background in coral biology. She is co-teaching Fall 2022 Quarter 1 of Superlab with Kristen.
The BSG is excited to announce our new website that can be found here. We will keep this website updated with events, old newsletters, resources, and more! One of our BSG members, Jessie Lin ‘24, worked incredibly hard this summer to get this up and running, so be sure to check it out and keep a lookout for updates!
Our faculty spotlight this newsletter is a visiting professor, Professor Courtney Marshall! A visiting professor is an individual who teaches and/or conducts research at an institution for a limited time; most visiting professors in the biology department stay for a few years (Professor Marshall will be here for three). Professor Marshall is coming from her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Virginia Lee where she focused on Alzheimer’s disease. Some of you may have taken Professor Marshall’s senior seminar last year. This year, Professor Marshall will be teaching Superlab Q2, a 300 level course, and a senior seminar!
1. What is your research about?
My lab studies the underlying mechanisms of tau pathogenesis. Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that facilitates numerous neuronal functions such as microtubule stabilization and axonal transport. Tau undergoes hyperphosphorylation and aggregation in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is associated with the neurodegenerative and cognitive symptoms that afflict patients. Our research uses various mouse and neuronal AD models in conjunction with pharmacological treatments to identify potential therapeutic targets.
2. If you could give advice to your younger self, what would you say?
I would tell my younger self to take pride in all accomplishments -- big or small, professional or personal.
3. What are some of your favorite things to do outside of work?
I like to explore the city to find great restaurants (and I am always taking suggestions). I also enjoy walking along the Schuylkill if the weather is nice, or staying inside to watch horror/thriller movies if it isn't.
Professor Marshall is happy to talk to any interested students about her research or her journey through research and academia (cmarshall2@haverford.edu)!
Best of luck to the seniors starting their thesis! We are excited to see what projects you develop and the impact you all will have on the biology community at haverford. For those of you who are not seniors, you can learn more about thesis in our student spotlight, where we highlight Kristen Min (Cooke Lab). She discusses what “the thesis” really is and her research, as well as her path to the biology department and her experiences as an international POC student.
My name is Kristen Min (she/her) and I’m a rising senior majoring in Biology with a Biochemistry concentration and minoring in Economics. I was born and raised in Seoul, Korea but almost half of my life has been spent in Connecticut and here in Philly.
1. Describe your path into research at Haverford and what you are doing for your thesis.
My interest in biochemistry and molecular biology - especially genetics - has led to working in Prof. Amy Cooke’s lab since my junior year. In brief, I have been working on projects relevant to investigating the post-transcriptional control of YBX3, the RNA-binding protein of our lab’s interest, during skeletal muscle cell differentiation. Last year, for my independent study, I worked on what’s behind the dramatic increase of YBX3’s protein level during differentiation. During this summer, I have been studying whether the 3’ untranslated regions of different amino acid transporter mRNAs are necessary or sufficient for YBX3 regulation during differentiation. This YBX3 regulation is what I plan to further study for my senior thesis.
2. If you could give someone advice about biology at Haverford, what would it be?
Explore and take advantage of different electives and course offerings! One of the ways that helped me to develop and narrow down my interest was taking different classes and seeing what I liked. Even when I felt I was not interested in a topic, it helped me to realize what I am passionate about.
3. What are some of your favorite things to do outside of class?
I love to run and explore nature! I’m a member of the women’s cross country and track and field. Also, I’m a coffee connoisseur and foodie who enjoys trying out new cafes and restaurants. You can also find me reading books and practicing flute.
To conclude our newsletter, we will be highlighting William “Bil” Clemons Jr, a biochemist working as a Professor of Biochemistry at CalTech, who specializes in structural biology. While getting his Ph.D. at the University of Utah under Nobel Prize Winner, Venki Ramakrishnan, he helped determine the atomic structure of a small ribosomal subunit. You can read this publication here. This work has since shaped our understanding of translation, and of the molecular mechanisms involved in the function of several antibiotics. He then worked as a post-doc at Harvard Medical School where he helped discover the structure of protein translocation channels. His most recent work focuses on the semisynthesis of an anticancer inhibitor from a biosynthetic intermediate and on the structure of the client-binding domain of cochaperone SGTA/Sgt2 (currently under review). Throughout his esteemed career, he has received many notable awards including the Max Perutz Award, the Dr. Fred Shair Award for Programming Diversity, the NIH Pioneer Award, the Burroughs Wellcome Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences, and was named a distinguished alumni of Virginia Tech Biochemistry. To learn more about Bil Clemons, and the awesome Clemons Lab, visit his lab page here!
Thanks for tuning in to the Fall 2022 newsletter! Here’s to the start of another great, biology-filled year. Be sure to check out the events that will happen this quarter, and we hope to see you there!
Endless love,
The BSG <3
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