Happenings in January & February 2012
FACULTY TRAVEL
WOMEN IN SCIENCE CLUB
Signal Transduction in Microorganisms Gordon Research Conference held January 15-19 in Ventura, CA.
On February 4, a few members of the Women in Science Club
helped out with a program called Science Power! It is a monthly
activity for middle school girls who are interested in the sciences. After introducing themselves and discussing their interest in
their fields, the club members helped the girls extract DNA
from spinach. It was a fun event and they had a great time
getting to know the younger girls.
Dr. Bill McCleary was accompanied by graduate students Kristi
Johns and Stewart Gardner.
Both students presented posters. Stewart Gardner’s poster,
entitled “PhoU’s Function and
Membrane Interaction,” is hanging in the hall on the eighth floor
of the Widstoe Building.
Each day of the conference was filled with presentations by the
leading experts in signal transduction, addressing bacterial
chemotaxis, flagellar structure, quorum sensing, and more.
They had plenty of opportunities to interact with the speakers
and students presenting posters. The conference was a great
way to present their research and receive feedback from colleagues from around the world.
SEMINAR SPEAKER
On February 16, Dr. Fayaz Khazi gave a seminar entitled,
“Synthetic Biology: Evolving Towards the Artificial.” Dr. Khazi is
the head of Research and Development
and Senior Director of the Animal Science
Division at Intrexon Corporation.
Dr. Fayaz Khazi completed his Ph.D. under
Dr. Nielsen, graduating from Auburn University. He completed his research at BYU
from 2000 to 2002 after Dr. Nielsen moved
here.
During his visit Dr. Khazi mentioned many good memories from
his time in the lab including the great view of Mt. Timpanogos
from the lab window on the 8th floor. He was grateful for the
many helpful conversations with faculty members who gave
him great advice, especially Dr. McCleary. Dr. Khazi also expressed appreciation to the office staff, including April (Elaine’s
predecessor). He felt that his experiences at BYU helped prepare him well for his postdoctoral work at the University of
Pennsylvania and now as a senior research director at Intrexon
Corporation.
Kendra Fullmer said, “We are
hoping that the program will
continue to grow and that we
can keep participating in it.
Some chemistry explosions and
sheep brain dissections may be
in the future for coming events!
It's very exciting to be part of
this great activity and get the opportunity to be a positive influence for these girls. Their knowledge is pretty amazing and it's
wonderful to watch them learn even more!”
On February 16, the club had Professor Rachel Tomco, who
teaches anatomy, and Dr. Jeff Edwards,
who teaches neuroscience, speak to them.
It was a great opportunity for everyone to
hear their experiences and learn from
their advice.
The Women in Science Club has had several fun activities so far this semester, and
are planning a few more. For information
on the club, be sure to check out
byuwomeninscience.blogspot.com
or
email
womeninscience1@gmail.com.
MMBIO CLUB
The MMBio Club has had a couple of activities so far this semester. The first was a two-part stem cell documentary series
that they watched and discussed. They also had an activity
where they wrote alumni fund-raising letters. As always, the
club had great food and a great time. On March 10 they will be
helping with the Provo Science Involvapolooza and on March 17
they will be going to hot springs where they will swim and learn
more about microbiology.
VISITING FACULTY
BABY SCIENTISTS
Dr. Atif Elnaggar is an associate professor of molecular genetics
from Aim Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He first came here
when he was a post-doc.
Dr. Elnaggar is working in Dr. O’Neill’s cancer research lab investigating the early diagnosis of cancer and possible novel therapies. His research is primarily focused on thymidine kinase 1
(TK1), which is showing promise as a powerful diagnostic tool
for early diagnosis of many different types of cancer. He is also
studying the effects of lichens and other natural products on
different cancer types cell lines. He is a Fulbright scholar and
will be with the department for two years.
Dr. Elnaggar is married with two sons and a daughter. Although
he spends much of his time working, he really enjoys playing
soccer, traveling, seeing Utah’s canyons, reading, and spending
time with his family and friends.
Dr. Bilquees Gul is an Associate Professor from the University of Karachi,
Pakistan.
Her association with
Brigham Young University first started 17 years ago when she came here
as a graduate student to work with
Dr. Darrell J Weber in the Department of Botany and Range Science.
Dr. Gul’s research primarily focuses
on the screening of coastal halophytes (salt tolerant plants) for edible oil, bio-diesel, and essential oils.
She is currently working with Dr. Brent Nielsen on a project entitled “Building capabilities for the molecular and biochemical
characterization of chloroplast gene expression in halophytes
with potential use as non-conventional crops.” The research is
jointly funded by the US State Department and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Her research output is very impressive. She is the author of 70 published papers in well-known
national and international journals.
Dr. Gul enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She
loves reading books and listening to music. She also likes to
learn about different cultures and religions. She is married and
has one daughter, Mishal Khan. Her husband is a well known
scientist and distinguished national professor and director of an
institute.
Not only are our graduate students becoming the innovative
scientists of today, but some are also becoming the parents
of the bright young scientists of tomorrow. These are the
babies born to our graduate students since April 2011:
DEPARTMENT GRANTS
Dr. Julianne Grose recently received an NIH R15 Area grant entitled “Molecular mechanisms of yeast PAS kinase regulation
and function.” It was granted for her study of PAS kinase, a protein that regulates glucose metabolism and is involved in the development of Type II diabetes. We would
like to congratulate Dr. Grose for
this exciting and impressive accomplishment.
Yeast containing putative PAS Kinase
substrates from a yeast two-hybrid
screen for proteins that interact with PAS kinase.
Kai Dean DeMille was born on June 24, 2011
to Desi DeMille and her husband Lee. He
was 18 inches long and weighed 5 pounds, 10
ounces. Desi says he is a fun little boy with
lots of personality.
Lillian Crook was born on July 1, 2011
to Matthew Crook and his wife
Leann. She was 17 inches long and
weighed 4 pounds, 1 ounce. Because
she was born eight weeks early, Lilli
had to spend some time in the NICU
before she could go home.
Makay Nicole Olsen was born August
15, 2011 to Daniel Olsen and his
wife. She was 6 pounds, 10 ounces.
Daniel says that she is all smiles.
Ronald William Keller was born October 5,
2011 to Mary Keller and her husband John.
He was 16 inches long and weighed 4
pounds, 2 ounces.
FEATURED FACULTY
Dr. Sandra Burnett, was featured in an article in the American
Association of Immunologists January and February newsletter. The title of the article is “AAI Sponsors Undergraduate
Workshop at AIC.” The article discusses the Careers in Immunology Workshop for Undergraduates, which has been directed by Dr. Burnett since 2007.
The Careers in Immunology workshop is an opportunity for
undergraduate students to learn about careers in the field of
immunology. It has become so popular with students involved in research over the last several years that they must
now apply to attend. During the conference, students have
the opportunity to meet, hear from, and ask questions of
professionals in the field of immunology. Students may also
present their research and receive written feedback on their
presentation.
This workshop is run particularly effectively and has generated much excitement from the students. Dr. Burnett is to be
congratulated for her hard work in developing the workshop
and representing BYU and our department well.