BSGP Student Profiles
Take a look at some of our extraordinary BSGP students!
Larry Agbor
2007 Cohort
Larry is in the Laboratory of Dr. Mary Walker as a second year student in
Toxicology and
Pharmacology. He received his Bachelor’s from the University of Buea (Cameroon) with a major
in Biochemistry and a minor in Medical Laboratory
Technology. He later graduated with a
Master’s degree in Biology from New Mexico
Highlands University and worked as a Research
Technician in the UNM College of
Pharmacy. Larry later returned to graduate school with an
interest in
Toxicology. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming, playing golf,
tennis, and most of all his greatest passion - soccer. He thinks that
Albuquerque is just a great place for him to realize his dreams.
Soumik Basuray
2008 Cohort
Soumik is a first year PhD student in the BSGP. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology
from Bangalore
University and followed it up with a Master's degree in Biochemical Technology
from
Madurai Kamaraj University in India. Soumik has worked in premier research
institutes in India, such
as the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, National Center
for Biological Sciences (a unit of the Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research) and
the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore before entering into
the realm of graduate studies at the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico. His
research
interests lie in exploring the processes of endocytic trafficking and
phagolysosome biogenesis. Soumik feels that the BSGP has outstanding curriculum and
rich faculty resources, and is very special because of it's flexibility and multidisciplinary
approach which could be an ideal platform for the young researchers to mold
their interests to reach their desired goal of long term success. In this
program you have affable peers and faculty who are great for holding stimulating discussions
and collegial interaction. The program is run by a progressive and sensitive administration who
lend a helping hand to your issues and concerns as a graduate student. This,
along with
the enchanting weather of Albuquerque, makes a newcomer feel at home, and the students enjoy the congenial environment both in and outside the
campus. Soumik looks forward for a rewarding experience in this great
collaborative and productive research endeavor here in Albuquerque.
Carl Brown III
2008 Cohort
Carl recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
from the University of
Rochester, class of '08. He is a PhD student and his research interests at UNM
are in viral
immunology, specifically viral evasion of the immune system and the
subsequent immune response.
He has one publication, from the lab of Dr. Ingrid Sarelius, Dept. of Pharmacology and Physiology
at the University of Rochester, titled "Microvascular endothelial cells exhibit optimal aspect ratio for
minimizing flow resistance." As a first year student, he was elected to be a
GPSA representative for the
BSGSS and is planning on applying for the IGERT fellowship in the spring. Carl originally hails from Cleveland, OH and is truly enjoying the change of
weather and culture coming down to the Southwest. The BSGP is an excellent program, headed by a knowledgeable
and forward thinking administration, and the umbrella program encompasses a huge
variety of faculty research focuses. The faculty are very personable and easy to
get in touch with about classwork/research or to just sit and have a casual
conversation. Albuquerque is a great city with lots of opportunity and a small town feel to
it. There is always plenty to do, whether it's mini-golf, hiking/biking in the
Sandia Mountains, or checking out the Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town. There's
plenty of history and culture to go around, and the students are
already getting together with each other on the weekends to hang out, making for
a fun social atmosphere as well a more productive and collaborative research
environment. The students work to help each other out, promoting the success of
the program and the student body as a whole, rather than the "go-it-alone"
mentality. Carl is certainly looking forward to new opportunities and new
experiences.
Carolina Franco
2007 Cohort
Carolina is a second year PhD student working in Dr. Orlando’s lab
trying to understand the intricacies
of obesity. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in
Biology at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do
Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS – Brazil). She continued her studies at the Universidade Federal do Rio
Grande do Sul (UFRGS – Brazil), where she received a scholarship to pursue her Master’s
degree in
Genetics and Molecular Biology. Her dissertation involved the clinical
diagnosis characterization and the detection of deletions in carrier women of Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy by quantitative Real Time PCR. She is
currently testing out a new mouse model to try to understand basic adipose
tissue biology and the players involved in maturation of adipose tissue.
Carolina is an international student from Brazil and understands the turmoil
of leaving her home country to study abroad. She has lived in Albuquerque twice
before, during the period when her father and her mother came to achieve their
graduate degrees. She enjoys Albuquerque because of the dry weather and great
atmosphere, as well as the great international diversity of UNM.
Kathryn M. Frietze
2004 Cohort
Kathryn is a PhD Candidate working under Adriana E. Kajon at the
Lovelace Respiratory Research
Institute. Originally from Pasco, WA, Kathryn attended Central Washington University where she earned
a BS degree in Biological Sciences and was a member of the William O. Douglas Honors College.
She began the BSGP PhD degree in Fall 2004 and was advanced to candidacy in Spring 2008. Her
dissertation research is focused on characterizing novel E3 proteins from respiratory human
adenoviruses. Kathryn's research interests
include evolution and emergence of infectious diseases and public health. She is
currently supported by a Robert D. Watkins Graduate Research Fellowship from the
American Society for Microbiology and was previously supported by the Infectious
Disease and Inflammation Program T-32 training grant. Kathryn has a Graduate
Research Development grant from UNM's Graduate and Professional Student
Association (GPSA). She has attended the annual meetings of the American Society
for Virology, the American Society for Microbiology, and the Molecular Biology
of DNA Tumor Virus conference. Kathryn has previously served as a BSGP Steering
Committee Student Representative, a UNM GPSA council representative, and a BSGP
Student Research Day Committee Chair.
Kate
Harms
2004 Cohort
Kate Harms is a PhD candidate in the Department of Neurosciences working with Lee Anna
Cunningham. Her dissertation work studies the neural stem cell response to
stroke and its effects
on neuronal injury in the ischemic brain, and has
been funded by a pre-doctoral grant from the
American Heart Association.
Kate has presented her dissertation work at several meetings,
including
those held by the Society for Neuroscience and the International Society for
Stem Cell Research. Her work has contributed to two publications, including
work from her current laboratory (Wetzel et al., 2008. Cell Death Differ.
15:143-51), and work as a research technician prior to graduate school
(Song, et al. 2005. J Immunol. 175:3534-41). Originally from San Jose,
California, Kate graduated from U.C. Davis in 2001 with a B.S. in
Neurobiology, and entered the BSGP in the Fall of 2004. As a graduate
student, Kate has been a T.A. for the Intro to Neurobiology and the
Neuroanatomy courses, as well as tutored the first-year medical students in
their Neuroscience block. In addition, she has served as the Biomedical
Sciences Graduate Student Society (BSGSS) President, BSGSS Treasurer, and as
a student representative to the BSGP Steering Committee.
Ebany Martinez-Finley
2005 Cohort
Ebany is a fourth year PhD Candidate in the departments of
Neurosciences and Toxicology. Her
mentors are Dr. Andrea Allan (Neurosciences)
and Dr. Jim Liu (Toxicology). Her work focuses on
moderate arsenic exposure and
its effects on the developing nervous system. Ebany holds bachelors
degrees in
Biology and Spanish from the University of New Mexico. She is a graduate student member
of the Society of Toxicology where she has presented her
work for the past five years. She is also the
student representative for the
Mountain West Society of Toxicology, representing graduate students in
toxicology departments from New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming and Southern Idaho.
She is funded by the Pfizer Safety Scholars fellowship and is currently awaiting
a funding decision on an NIH NRSA Fellowship submitted in May. She is the
Vice-chair for the Graduate Research and Development Grant that is part of the
Graduate and Professional Student Association. She is also a past president of
the Biomedical Sciences Student Society. She has one peer-reviewed first author
publication in Neurotoxicology
Michal Peterson
2006 Cohort
Michal
works in Dr. Hattie Gresham’s lab in the department of Molecular Genetics and
Microbiology. Originally from Amarillo, TX, Michal
received her BS in Microbiology from Brigham
Young University in Provo UT in 2003. She transferred from the University of Utah
Molecular
Biology Graduate Program to UNM in the Fall of 2006. As a member of
the BSGSS, she helped
organize the 2007 Student Research Day and Student
Retreat. She has presented her work on the
role of serum apolipoprotein B (apoB)
as a barrier to invasive Staphylococcus
aureus
Abhishek
Prasad
2008 Cohort
Abhishek “Abhi” Prasad is a first year graduate student in the BSGP.
He initially applied as an M.S.
student, however he was impressed enough with
the strengths of the program and its faculty that he
has elected to take
the qualifying exam and matriculate into the Ph.D program. His research
interests
include virology and immunology, particularly studying mechanisms of
virulence and exploiting them to
elucidate possible avenues of treatment.
He is a pseudo-native of New Mexico, having resided in Las
Cruces, NM for 22 out
of his 26 years. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a B.S.
in
Biology and minors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His
undergraduate research involved working in the NMSU Cotton Genetics and Breeding
program, a far cry from his current vocations, but still an experience he feels
benefited him. Abhi is also an avid amateur herpetologist, and
during the spring and summer months he can often be found in the field wrangling
snakes and other critters. His real passion is with venomous reptiles, and
he maintains a modest private collection of snakes, as well as a few tarantulas.
Jessica Seidel
2005 Cohort
Jessica is a third year student in the BSGP Program. She works in Dr. Bill Shuttleworth’s lab in the
Neuroscience department, and her work focuses on the
mechanisms underlying the onset of
spreading depression and the fate of neurons and astrocytes following SD
under ischemic conditions.
She received her B.Sc.at the University of Arizona (with honors, May 2005) in
Biology and Chemistry
(minor). She has recently passed her comprehensive exam (with honors, September
2008), submitted
an NRSA F30 pre-doctoral application (August 2008, currently
under review), and is currently funded through an NIH Institutional Training
Grant (T32) under Dr. Ben Walker (August 2008-August 2009). She has attended the
Society for Neuroscience annual conference in both 2008 and 2009, and will be
attending the Gorden Research Conference for Glial Biology: Functional
Interactions among Glia & Neurons in March 2009 to present her work. Jessica is an
Jessica Snow
2004 Cohort
Jessica is a PhD Candidate working under Thomas Resta in the Department of
Cell Biology and
Physiology.
Originally from southern Illinois, Jessica completed her B.S. in Biology
and French at the
University
of Illinois. She began her BSGP PhD studies in Fall 2004 and advanced to candidacy in
Fall 2006.Her dissertation project
focuses on mechanisms of altered pulmonary vasoreactivity
following intermittent
hypoxia. She is currently supported
by an American Heart Association Predoctoral
Fellowship and was previously on a
National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Scholars Training Grant. She has presented her work at the annual Experimental Biology meetings,
the International Congress of the Microcirculatory Society, the FASEB Smooth
Muscle Conference as well as the Grover Conference on the pulmonary circulation.
She has one peer-reviewed first author publication in the American
Journal of Physiology
Sarah E. Vaughan
2008 Cohort
Greeley, Colorado with degrees in music performance and French. For the past three years, Sarah
worked as a professional research assistant, coordinating clinical research, at the Barbara Davis
Center for Childhood Diabetes in Denver, Colorado. Her research interests include drug discovery,
immunology, and infectious disease. Sarah enjoys outdoor activities, horseback riding, classical
music, and classical dance.
Espen Walker
2004 Cohort
cerebral ischemia on the mouse brain white matter. Currently, Espen is studying the role of reactive
astrocytes in the release of MMPs and their inhibitors (TIMPs) leading to cellular death or survival.
Following undergraduate studies at UCSC, he worked in biotechnology, herbal supplements, and
medical device engineering. He is married with two children, enjoys bike riding, hiking, running, and
talking about anything neuro-related. He has been BSGSS president, Steering Committee representative, and started the peer mentoring committee, feel free to email him if you have any questions.
Jenny L. Wilkerson
2007 Cohort
Jenny is a second year BSGP student in the Neuroscience Department
working in the laboratory of Dr.
Erin Milligan. Her research is focused on elucidating the mechanisms
underlying cannabinoid 2
receptor (CB2R) activation in the spinal cord for the development of
novel therapeutics to treat chronic,
neuropathic pain. Additional areas of potential research include the
influence of CB2R activation on
neurodegenerative diseases, and neuronal dysfunction as a consequence of
stroke/ ischemia. Jenny
attended the SACNAS annual conference in 2007, and will be attending the
American Pain Society’s annual meeting in May 2009 to present her work. She is
currently supported via an IMSD Graduate Fellowship, through the University of
New Mexico’s Department of Biology.
Jenny is originally from the Kansas City, MO area, and she obtained her BS in
Cellular/Molecular Biology from Northwest Missouri State University. Before
entering the BSGP in 2007, Jenny worked in the pharmaceutical clinical trial
industry. She loves the natural beauty, climate, and free-spirited nature of New
Mexico.
