To promote excellence in undergraduate research and education, GSA established the Undergraduate Travel Award, which supports travel costs for undergraduate members who are presenting at and attending a GSA conference.

Congratulations to the Fall 2020 awardees!

Susan Afolabi

University of Maryland Baltimore County

I am studying the effect of ferritin an iron storage molecule in migratory cells known as border cell cluster which are found in the ovaries of fruit flies.

Huda Al-Bana

University of Mary Washington

My research looks at determining the contribution of altered myokine expression to muscle wasting in a skeletal muscle disease known as myotonic dystrophy.

Kerri Davidson

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

I am interested in unraveling the mechanism associated with a new and exciting nuclear-pore independent nuclear export pathway: Nuclear Envelope (NE) budding.

Olivia Eliopoulos

Barnard College

My research in Drosophila focuses on the genetic basis of sexual conflict and I am also researching the genetic etiology of VACTERL Association, a condition that causes multiple congenital anomalies, using human genome sequencing data.

Eli Hagedron

The University of Alabama

We study how aging affects the immune response by infecting aged fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) with virus (FHV) and observing their unique molecular response compared to young flies.

Nicole Harrington

University of Pennsylvania

My research investigates the molecular mechanisms between stress and expression of Nr4a1.

Justin Hui

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Using the Drosophila embryo as a model, I study the molecular mechanisms underlining single cell wound repair.

Zachary Leydig

University of Pittsburgh

I am captivated by the cellular mechanisms needed for healthy reproduction, and through my research, I look to gain a deeper understanding of the proteins involved in homologous recombination, which is essential for gamete viability.

Grace McIntyre

Marian University

My research analyzes the flux of lipid metabolism through the aging process in C. elegans.

Brandon Murareanu

University of Toronto

I am using C. elegans to discover drugs with the potential to treat Microsporidia infection.

Arianna Piñeiro

Lehigh University

My research focuses on understanding differential functions of eRpL22 and eRpL22-like paralogue-specific ribosomes in translating proteins required for sperm development in Drosophila melanogaster by analyzing levels of the essential mitochondrial transmembrane GTPase, Marf, to determine if eRpL22 ribosomes play a specialized role in mediating its translation.

Caroline Pritchard

Lehigh University

I study functions of ribosomal proteins (components of the protein-making machinery found in all cells) and how the loss of specific ribosomal proteins perturbs normal developmental processes in the fruit fly.

Arya Rao

Columbia University

I am investigating mechanisms of adaptive evolution using the case of repeated evolution of toxin resistance in the sodium-potassium pump.

Hannah Reich

Queens College, CUNY

Using C. elegans as a model organism, I study how growth is regulated.

Tenley Spataro

University of Massachusetts Boston

My work involves using blind mutants of Drosophila melanogaster as a model to establish a nanotechnology-based drug delivery system to treat eye diseases.

Stephanie Stumbur

Northeastern University

I am working to understand C. elegans ability to identify protective bacteria while under oxidative stress.

Maya Takashima

University of Mary Washington

I am working to understand the role of pvr signaling pathway in muscle wasting due to Myotonic Dystrophy Type I (a genetic muscle disease) using a fly model.

Christiana Wang

Case Western Reserve University

My colleagues and I are working to distinguish the cause of the interchromosomal effect between pachytene activation and crossover control mechanisms in Drosohila melanogaster.

Melissa Xie

Emory University

My research utilizes a bioinformatics approach to identify possible novel proteins that localize to the histone locus in Drosophila melanogaster.

Ian Yannuzzi

Georgetown University

My project focuses on understanding the role of the DNA repair protein, CtIP, in DNA double-strand breaks.

Anna Zhebrun

Rutgers University

I am investigating the functionality of a protein that potentially plays a role in epigenetic inheritance and genomic stability in C. elegans.

Joyce Yue Zhu

University of Toronto

I study the serotonin-satiety signalling pathway in C. elegans, with a focus on tph-1.

To promote excellence in undergraduate research and education, the Genetics Society of America has established a travel award to assist undergraduate members attending a GSA conference and presenting their research.

We’re proud to announce the winners of the Undergraduate Travel Award! The recipients will be attending the 22nd International C. elegans Conference at UCLA from June 20–24, 2019. We can’t wait to see you at #Worm19!

Mario Cabrera

Baylor College of Medicine

“My research is understanding the molecular interplay of host and microbial factors that determine microbiome form and function.”

Nina Fassnacht

Marist College

“My research is understanding how chromatin remodelers are important for responding to different types of DNA damage in C. elegans.”

Kassandra Kin

University of California, Riverside

“By looking at insect parasitic nematodes, we were able to establish that one odor is able to elicit two different responses.”

Cameron LaFayette

University of Alabama at Birmingham

“I investigate how primary cilia dysfunction influences nephronophthisis using the C. elegans model.”

Robert Lao

The University of Toronto

“I am studying how small RNAs and their protein partners (called Argonautes) mediate communication between cells, and what role this process may play in parasitic worm infections.”

Katarina Liberatore

Muhlenberg College

“I study the regulation of arrest through neuronal signaling mediated by nuclear hormone receptors and insulin signaling.”

Aidan Nowakowski

Marist College

“My research looks at DNA repair pathways and how the loss of a crucial part of one pathway can affect the overall genomic stability of the organism.”

Victoria Puccini de Castro

Northeastern Illinois University

“By the analysis of mutations isolated in a large genetic screen, we have defined additional molecular components that work in conjunction with a canonical fibroblast growth factor signaling pathway to regulate fluid homeostasis in the nematode C. elegans.”

Priscila Robles

University of California, Riverside

“I am using CeNDR to find the genetic pathway associated with the detection of a chemical odorant.”

Brendil Sabatino

BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

“I am working on elucidation of a novel oxidative stress response pathway via a functional genomics screen in C. elegans.”

Evan Schlesinger

Muhlenberg College

“I am working on fluorescently visualizing DAF-16 translocation in order to better understand a sleep-like developmental arrest.”

Alexander Sinks

Davidson College

“I am working to optimize a new protocol to profile protein-DNA interactions in C. elegans with increased accuracy.”

Dan Zhang

University of Calgary

“I study stem cells in the C. elegans germline that are regulated by protein interactions.”

To promote excellence in undergraduate research and education, the Genetics Society of America has established a travel award to assist undergraduate members attending a GSA conference to present their research.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Undergraduate Travel Award for Summer 2018!

Ryan Cheng
University of California, Los Angeles

I study the biochemistry and structure of the Tetrahymena thermophila telomere protein Pat2.

Sam Kajjo
University of Ottawa

I study the Rts1/B56 regulatory subunit of PP2A, which is required for Cyclin-dependent kinase activation and anaphase onset.

Victoria Mingione
Emmanuel College

I am investigating the novel impact of a mutant NUD1 allele on effectors of the mitotic exit network in S. cerevisiae.

Rachel Mullner
Missouri State University

I investigate the role of Rad4 as the DNA damage-sensing protein in the Nucleotide Excision Repair pathway in the binucleated ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila.

Taylor Rosenthal
Albion College

I am looking at the influence of mating type proteins in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Jeremy Tee
Missouri State University

I design and develop new tagging vectors to study protein expression and localization patterns in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Alexander Trujillo
Albion College

I study how Tetrahymena thermophila is able to recognize mating types during conjugation.

To promote excellence in undergraduate research and education, the Genetics Society of America has established a travel award to assist undergraduate members attending a GSA conference to present their research.

Congratulations to all the winners of the Undergraduate Travel Award for Spring 2018!

Mayra M. Banuelos
San Francisco State University

STRs (short tandem repeats) used for forensic identification could contain more genetic information than previously assumed.

Ezequiel Lopez Barragan
San Francisco State University

Samantha K. Dung
San Francisco State University

We hope our research will shed light on acknowledged programmers, particularly women, and their contributions to science, as well as to promote gender equality in the computer programming and scientific field.

Minkyung Lee
Baruch College – City University of New York

My research focuses on understanding the role of Juvenile Hormone mimics on the Drosophila immune system.

Andrea Lopez
San Francisco State University

We are making visible the contribution of women programmers to the foundation of our own fields: population and evolutionary genetics.

Batoul S. Nasser
University of Detroit Mercy

We utilize fruit flies to further our understanding of the role of the cancer-causing gene yap and the roles it plays in development.

Rochelle Reyes
San Francisco State University

My research team and I have been looking into women’s hidden contributions as programmers in early Theoretical Population Biology journals.

Brian Tang
Baruch College – City University of New York

I focus on identifying the genetic basis of crystal cell count variation in the Drosophila immune system.

Ricky Thu
San Francisco State University

By conducting this Acknowledged Programmers Project, we hope to shed light on women’s contributions to science as well as promote gender equality in the computer programming and scientific field.

Elinor Wood
Bemidji State University

My work with fruit flies has focused on how nutrition and developmental timing affect the accessibility and expression of genes that are normally inaccessible and not expressed.

GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 Victoria Finnerty Undergraduate Travel Award. This award, which honors the memory of Victoria Finnerty, supports travel costs for undergraduates engaged in research to attend the 59th Annual Drosophila Research Conference.

Congratulations, undergrads! We’ll see you in Philadelphia.

To promote excellence in undergraduate research and education, the Genetics Society of America has established a travel award to assist undergraduate members attending a GSA conference and presenting their research.

We’re proud to announce the winners of the Undergraduate Travel Award who will be attending the 21st International C. elegans Conference, which is being held at UCLA this week. These undergraduate students were selected by the GSA Education Committee based on their application and letters of recommendation. We can’t wait to see you at the meeting!

Jacqueline Alexander
Ithaca College

My lab seeks to understand the evolution of dosage compensation between nematode sister species C. elegans and C. briggsae.

Sally Claridge
University of Oregon

Our research seeks to elucidate how gene flow affects the rate of adaptation to novel environments via the experimental evolution of the nematode Caenorhabditis remanei in a chronic heat stress environment.

Dallas Fonseca
Ithaca College

I am studying the specificity of RNAi binding proteins and their role in the development and maintenance of stem cells.

Pierre-Marc Frédérick
Laval University

I work to understand how tiny RNA molecules control cell behavior.

Delfina González
Pomona College

My research focuses on understanding the assembly of a protein complex on the outermost layer of the C. elegans eggshell known as the vitelline layer.

Leah Gulyas
Gettysburg College

I study thermosensation and how stress response genes mediate the C. elegans acute cold shock response.

Mark Hansen
Central Michigan University

We study how stem cell models are able to remain unspecified after long periods of inactivity.

Donghoon Kang
Rice University

I’m studying the effects of P. aeruginosa siderophores on C. elegans mitochondrial health.

Kelvin Liao
Rutgers University

My research uses the model organism C. elegans to determine the molecular function of the sma-10 gene within the context of the transforming growth factor-β-like pathway (TGFβ), a highly conserved signaling pathway essential for regulating cell growth and development in all animal phyla, including humans.

Joseph Marsili
Northeastern Illinois University

My research investigates the potential use of C. elegans as a biosensor, like drug-sniffing dogs, to detect tuberculosis infection in hopes of developing a quick, cost effective tool to provide diagnostic capabilities to those communities currently lacking the resources to fund laboratory diagnostic techniques.

Margaux Quiniou
University of Exeter

I am investigating the ability of cells to undergo direct cell fate conversion in the model organism C. elegans.

Anza Rivzi
Rutgers University

Our study of tbb-6 will further contribute to the scientific knowledge of how mutations in tubulin genes lead to neurodegenerative diseases called tubulinopathies.

Erika Rosenkranse
Marist College

My research investigates ways in which DNA damage is repaired.

Cyrus Ruediger
University of Colorado Berkeley

I study the contribution of the C. elegans kinase kgb-1 to protein folding stress resistance.

Mariya Stefinko
Northeastern Illinois University

I study cell signaling in C. elegans, specifically trying to identify novel components in an EGL-15 Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Signaling complex, using genetic and molecular biology methods.

Colson Tomberlin
University of Colorado Boulder

My research is broadly focused on characterizing neurodegenerative disorders with a specific emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease and ALS.

Carolyn Turcotte
Marist College

My research focuses on the genetic basis for DNA repair mechanisms.

Kathryn Weaver
Bethel College

My research uses a health rating scale to determine if C. elegans (a free-living nematode) is a useful model for studying the effectiveness of drugs used to treat soil-transmitted helminths (parasitic worms).

Curtis Wentz
Juniata College

I use the model organism C. elegans to investigate the role of sphingolipids in neurotransmission and aging.

Zoe Yeoh
Gettysburg College

We are looking at the relationship between SKN-1 and FSHR-1 in the C. elegans innate immune response, a broadly conserved defense mechanism inherent to nearly all multicellular organisms.

Feature from January 2016 issue of Alaska Beyond | Horizon Edition Magazine. Used with permission of Paradigm Communications Group.

GSA undergraduate member Ben Blue was featured in the January 2016 issue of Alaska Airlines’ Alaska Beyond | Horizon Edition Magazine.

As part of an article on college students conducting research that may make a difference in the world, the magazine highlighted Ben’s research on how diet affects health. Working in the lab of Patrick Phillips at the University of Oregon, he is using the C. elegans model system to measure how various dietary inputs affect life history traits such as reproductive behavior, physiological health, and longevity.

Although Ben isn’t completely sure how the magazine found out about his work, it’s been particularly fun: as an Alaska native, many of his friends and family fly Alaska Airlines regularly and have been able to save copies of the magazine. “I also got the chance to surprise a few family members by sending them a text to check the in-flight magazine right before they board.”

Ben has also taken full advantage of his fame to discuss the importance of C. elegans research with family members who weren’t aware of how this small model organism is helping to provide answers to big questions.

As noted in the airline magazine, Ben was able to attend GSA’s International C. elegans Meeting in 2015 thanks to a GSA Undergraduate Travel Award. He had this to say about his experience:

I had an absolutely fantastic time at the International Worm Meeting. I was able to present a poster about some of the research that I’ve been working on for the last several years and meet a lot of other researchers with similar interests in C. elegans diet and microfluidic applications. What was really fantastic was the collaborative nature of the meeting. Almost every interaction began and ended with how each group could help each other solve common questions or troubleshoot shared problems.