2018 Genetics Fellows
These students were selected from a group of extraordinarily talented applicants based on the following criteria: scientific excellence and impact (including research statement, publications, conference participation, and academic awards), contribution to GGSA and financial need.
Rebecca Booth
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Caitlin Curry
Advisor: Dr. James Derr
Diana Medina
Advisor: Dr. Jon Skare
Joseph Moderalli
Advisor: Dr. James Derr
2018 Genetics Travel Awards
Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics in Carbondale, IL
Rebecca Booth
Presented a poster titled: “Identifying long-range, intramolecular interactions that regulate DNA binding in a Hox transcription factor”
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Southern Africa Lion Indaba in Kruger National Park, South Africa
Caitlin Curry
Presented a talk titled: “Using Digital Media to Centralize Our Global Community”
Advisor: Dr. Jim Derr
Arthropod Genomics Symposium in Urbana, IL
Heather Eggleston
Presented a talk titled: “Identifying heme importers & exporters through RNA seq analysis in Aedes aegypti”
Advisor: Dr. Zachary Adelman
Keystone on Mitochondrial Biology in Kyoto, Japan
Jessica Elswood
Presented a poster titled:”Singleminded-2s: at the nexus of mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics during mammary epithelial cell differentiation”
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) in Amelia Island, FL
Ben Greenwell
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
Presented a talk and a poster titled: “Rhythmic Food Intake Drives Rhythmic Gene Expression More Potently than the Hepatic Circadian Clock in Mice”
Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) in Amelia Island, FL
Samantha Iiams
Presented a poster and a talk titled: “Circadian clock control and vitamin A regulation of photo periodically induce reproductive diapause in the monarch butterfly”
Received the Patricia DeCoursey Excellence Award base on her abstract
Advisor: Dr. Christine Merlin
Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) in Amelia Island, FL
Jennifer Jung
Presented a poster titled: “Rhythmic phase control and period compensation by a circadian transcription factor network”
Advisor: Dr. Deborah Bell-Pedersen
Plant and Animal Genome Symposium (PAGS) in San Diego, CA
Matthew Jevit
Presented a talk titled: “Towards a gene catalogue of the alpaca Y chromosome”
Advisor: Dr. Terje Raudsepp
ATS-2018 International Conference in San Diego, CA
Tejas Karhadkar
Will be presenting a poster and a talk about his research on May 27, 2018
Advisor: Dr. Richard Gomer
Mammalian Genetics and Genomics: From Molecular Mechanisms to Translational Applications in Heidelberg, Germany
Carolina Mantilla-Rojas
Presented a talk titled: “Progression of Colorectal Cancer Through Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Independent Mechanisms”
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
Gordon Research Conference Biology: Spirochete Biology in the Host and in the Wild in Ventura, CA
Diana Medina
Presented a poster titled: “The Small Regulatory RNA (sRNA) of Borrelia burgdorferi that maps between genes bbd18 and bbd19 is required for optimal infectivity”
Advisor: Dr. Jon Skare
Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics in Carbondale, IL
Gabriela Mendes
Presented a poster titled: “Developing new forms of protein-based materials”
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (SRBR) in Amelia Island, FL
Alexandra Trott
Presented a poster titled: “Molecular Characterization of the Effects of Shift Work and Food Consumption on Metabolic and Cardiovascular Functions in the Rat”
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
American Association of Immunologists conference in Austin, TX
Kelsi West
Presented a poster titled:” RNA-binding protein, hnRNP M, and how it influences specific cytokine outcomes upon Salmonella infection”
Advisor: Dr. Robert Watson
2018 Genetics Symposium
Short Talks Competition
First Place
Jessica Elswood
“Powering Lactation: Where Mitophagy and Mitochondrial Dynamics Meet”
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Second Place and People Choice Award
Samantha Iiams
“RNA-seq in Seasonal Forms of Monarch Butterfly Reveals a Possible Role of the Vitamin A Pathway in Regulating Insect Photoperiodic Responses”
Advisor: Dr. Christine Merlin
Third Place (tie)
Carolina Mantilla-Rojas
“Progression of colorectal cancer through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-independent mechanisms”
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
Caitlin Curry
“A Century of Conservation Genetics of African Lions (Panthera leo)”
Advisor: Dr. James Derr
Poster Competition
First Place
Heather Eggleston
“Identifying Heme Importers and Exporters Through RNA Seq Analysis in Aedes aegypyi”
Advisor: Dr. Zachary Adelman
Second Place
Rebecca Booth
“How Hox Proteins Regulate DNA Binding”
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Third Place
Diana Medina
“Small Regulatory RNA (sRNA) in Borrelia burgdorferi is Required for Optimal Infectivity”
Advisor: Dr. Jon Skare
People Choice Award
Alexandra Trott
“Molecular Characterization of the Effects of Shift Work and Food Consumption on Metabolic and Cardiovascular Functions in the Rat”
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
Award of Teaching Excellence
Andrew Collin Osborne
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
Students’ Choice Teaching Award
Kathryn Pflug
Advisor: Dr. Raquel Sitcheran
2017 Genetics Fellows
These students were selected from a group of extraordinarily talented applicants based on the following criteria: scientific excellence and impact (including research statement, publications, conference participation, and academic awards), contribution to GGSA and financial need.
Wesley Brashear
Advisor: Dr. Bill Murphy
David Forgacs
Advisor: Dr. James Derr
Ramesh Gunaratna
Advisor: Dr. Robin Fuchs Young
Carolina Mantilla-Rojas
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
Scott Pearson
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Alexandra Trott
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
2017 Genetics Symposium
Short Talks Competition
First Place
Camille Duran
Advisor: Dr. Kayla Bayless
Second Place
Alexandra Trott
Advisor: Dr. Jerome Menet
Third Place (tie)
Jessica Elswood
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Scott Pearson
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
People Choice Award
Hilary Scott
Advisor: Dr. Vlad Panin
Poster Competition
First Place
Kathy Scienski
Advisor: Dr. Clare Gill
Second Place
Camille Duran
Advisor: Dr. Kayla Bayless
Third Place
Jessica Elswood
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
People Choice Award
Scott Pearson
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Award of Teaching Excellence
Samantha Peeler-Fletcher
Advisor: Dr. Deborah Threadgill
Students’ Choice Teaching Award
Hilary Scott
Advisor: Dr. Vlad Panin
2016 Genetics Symposium
Short Talks Competition
First Place
Reed Stubbendieck
“Escape from lethal bacterial competition through coupled antibiotic resistance and a mobilized subpopulation”
Advisor: Dr. Paul Straight
Second Place (tie)
Ashley Matinson
“The genetic basis of grain yield in Sorghum bicolor”
Advisor: Dr. John Mullet
Hilary Scott
“A novel pathway regulating neural excitability in the Drosophila nervous system”
Advisor: Dr. Vlad Panin
Poster Competition
First Place
Stephen Caster
“Circadian clock regulation of mRNA translation through the eukaryotic elongation factor eEF-2”
Advisor: Dr. Deb Bell-Pederson
Second Place
Derek Seidel
“Epigenetic regulation of apoptosis in adult colon stem cells: response to radiation and dietary interventions”
Advisor: Dr. Nancy Turner
Third Place
Camille Duran
“Hic-5 mediates endothelial sprouting by regulating a key surface metalloproteinase”
Advisor: Dr. Kayla Bayless
Fourth Place
Adam Salazar
“Killing three birds with one stone: strategic targeting of a conserved mycobacterial and plant, mulipathway choke point, by two classes of herbicide”
Advisor: Dr. Jim Sacchettini
Teaching Award
Exceptional Performance for Teaching
Michelle Gorman
Advisor: Dr. Deborah Threadgill
Teaching Award
Outstanding Performance for Teaching
Samantha Iiams
Advisor: Dr. Christine Merlin
2015 Genetics Symposium
Poster Competition
First Place
Kelly Churion
“Sequence-specific incorporation of DNA into protein-based biomaterials”
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Second Place
Stephen Caster
“Circadian regulation of translation through the Eukaryotic Elongation Factor eEF-2 in Neurospora crassa”
Advisor: Dr. Deb Bell-Pederson
Third Place
Rachel Jordan
“Silent chromatin varies across the ribosomal DNA array in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”|
Advisor: Dr. Mary Bryk
Fourth Place
Reed Stubbendieck
“A mechanism of resistance in a model bacterial competition”
Advisor: Dr. Paul Straight
Teaching Awards
Exceptional Performance for Teaching
Jessica Elswood
Advisor: Dr. Weston Porter
Outstanding Performance in Teaching
Carolina Mantilla-Rojas
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill
Research Award
Amanda Hulse-Kemp
Advisor: Dr. David Stelly
Mentoring Award
Rachel Jordan
Advisor: Dr. Mary Bryk
2014 Genetics Symposium
Poster Competition
First Place
Kelly Churion
” Sequence-specific incorporation of DNA into protein-based biomaterials”
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Bondos
Second Place
Victor Mason
“Efficient cross-species capture hybridization and next-generation sequencing of mitochondrial genomes from non-invasively sampled colugo museum specimens”
Advisor: Dr. Bill Murphy
Third Place
Josie Hilley
“Genetic basis of stem growth in sorghum”
Advisor: Dr. John Mullet
Fourth Place
Jade Benjamin
“Development of embryonic stem cell-derived neuronal cultures for high-throughput drug screening”
Advisor: Dr. Scott Dindot
2014 Teaching Awards
Exceptional Performance for Teaching
David Forgacs
Advisor: Dr. James Derr
Outstanding Performance in Teaching
Selene Howe
Advisor: Dr. David Threadgill