Student Profiles - 2006

Zach Via
Fox Lab
BMCB Field (entered program in fall 2006)

From: Ester, Alaska
Undergraduate: University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH; BS (Biochemistry) 2006

Statement

When I was applying to graduate schools, I knew that Cornell was one of the top schools in the country, but it wasn’t until I visited Ithaca that I realized how much Cornell has to offer. The staff and faculty here are generous and helpful, and graduate students have the opportunity to pursue both research and teaching interests in a great atmosphere. It is easy to gather together a committee from diverse fields, and interdisciplinary work is encouraged. To top it off, Ithaca is a wonderful place to live, with lots of fun local events and outdoor activities.

Research

I’m currently starting my fourth year in the Fox lab, studying the assembly of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex using Saccharyomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. My particular research deals with a nuclear encoded protein, Mss51, and its function in assembling Cox1 into Complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) of the respiratory chain. The work is an enjoyable combination of molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics.

Amber Krauchunas
Wolfner lab
BMCB Field (entered program fall 2006)

From: New Jersey
Undergraduate: Mt Holyoke College, South Hadley MA, BA 2006

Statement

What drew me to Cornell and the BMCB program was the science. There were so many labs doing research that I found to be both interesting and exciting. Coming to Cornell was an easy decision because I knew I would have no difficulty finding a lab to join. I also appreciated the diversity of the labs within the department, which allowed me to explore a variety of interests during my rotations and find the lab and the project that I truly wanted to pursue. Finally, there is the friendly and collaborative nature of BMCB. It is a wonderful environment to work in, and you know that everyone wants you to succeed. After my first visit I felt I would be happy to spend my graduate career here, and today I still know that Cornell was the right choice for me.

Research

My project in the Wolfner lab is focused on the phosphorylation changes that take place during egg activation in Drosophila melanogaster. Egg activation refers to the events that occur when a mature oocyte transitions to an egg capable of supporting embryogenesis. Despite all the changes at this time of development, little to no transcription is observed. However, studies have shown that differences exist between the proteomes of mature oocytes and activated eggs. Contributing to the changes in the proteome are changes in protein phosphorylation state. We know that MAPK activity levels decrease and CamKII activity increases during egg activation, and that the protein phosphatase calcineurin is essential for activation. In addition, there are two proteins that have been shown to be dephosphorylated upon activation, both of which are needed for early embryonic development. I have been using mass spectrometry approaches to find additional proteins that undergo changes in their phosphorylation state during this oocyte to embryo transition, with the future goal of characterizing their roles in the events of egg activation.

Shih Lin (Lynda) Goh
Sondermann lab and Feigenson lab (joint student)
BMCB Field (entered program fall 2006)

From: Malaysia
Undergraduate: Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster PA, BS chemistry 2006

Statement

The diversity of the research offered in the Field of BMCB is one of the main reasons I chose Cornell. The field brings together faculty from various departments, such as Pharmacology, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, and Plant Sciences. Hence, students from BMCB have ample opportunities to work in multidisciplinary research, and collaborate with different research groups to answer a common scientific question. Coming from a small liberal arts college with strong foundations in the sciences, I did not want my choices to be limited in graduate school. I have also grown to enjoy living in Ithaca. It not only offers the beauty of nature with its gorges, creeks, and state parks; but also provides the charm and peace of a small town.

Research

The ability of cells to maintain and change the shapes of their membranes is vital for many cellular processes. The Sondermann lab is interested in peripheral membrane proteins containing BAR/F-BAR domains that have been identified as membrane remodelers involved in endocytosis. Using X-ray crystallography and various in vitro functional assays, we have obtained the structure of Pacsin (an F-BAR domain protein), and gained insights into its mechanism of membrane deformation.
On the other hand, changes in membrane topology also depend on mechanical properties of the membrane, which is determined by its lipid composition. Since the complexity of the plasma membrane presents a difficult system to study the behaviors of lipid mixing, the Feigenson lab utilizes synthetic lipids mixtures consisting of only a few components to systematically examine lipid phase behavior. Main techniques used in the lab include fluorescence microscopy, FRET, and X-ray diffraction.
As a joint student of both labs, I am interested in studying the interplay between the phase behavior of the plasma membrane and the membrane remodeling activity of BAR/F-BAR domain proteins using model membrane mixtures.