The Team

Students

Ryan Beckner

Full-time worker. Boy-band good looks.

2nd-year undergrad triple majoring in Biological Sciences/Biochemistry/Self-loathing

Cashing checks and snapping necks

Spirit animals/organisms: Cuttlefish

Derek Gasaway

Wiki and math help

2nd-year undergrad majoring in Biology/Computer Science

Curious about web design and mathematical modelling. Also does archery.

Spirit animals/organisms: Tierra 0080.gen

Rikki Baker Keusch

Full-time member. After project was split up, focussed on getting mCherry+AroF and promoter+TyrR constructs up and running. Miniprep goddess. Is also treasurer and tried not to depress the team too much by limiting reminders of our dwindling budget to not that often.

2nd-year undergrad double-majoring in Biology and Molecular Engineering

Dances with Rhythmic Bodies in Motion, sings with University Chorus and the Women’s Ensemble, teaches 3- and 4- year-olds how to pop & lock, and spends the rest of her time in various libraries as research for her goal of the most comfortable all-nighter.

Spirit animals/organisms: Streptococcus pyogenes: She’s had scarlet fever twice, so she feels a special kinship with this bacterium.

Kevin Yang

Part-time member. I helped come up with much of the initial idea and conceptual theory behind the project, and did a lot of the background research. I designed lots and lots and lots of primers. I helped with troubleshooting.

2nd year undergrad. Tripling in Biology, Biochemistry, and Medieval Torture Devices. Pre-med represent.

Reading books, playing piano, and playing violin is basically all I do when I’m not in lab and don’t have other work.

Spirit animals/organisms: A water bear. They look really cool and they’ll actually survive when the apocalypse comes.

Eliot Joya

Full time, did lab-techy stuff (I got really good at making agar plates), handled much of the mutator cloning and mutagenesis, and caused at least half the setbacks the team experienced.

At the time of writing, rising 3rd year, majoring in Biological Sciences, specializing in microbiology, non pre-med (the lazy git). Most likely also pursuing a history minor.

Biology, diseases, coffee, European history and literature, breaking the established order of nature for personal gain, the oxford comma, and emotional masochism.

Spirit animals/organisms: A cat, particularly one of the lazy or snarkier ones.

Ryan McGuire Singh

Part-time overall (actually full-time for the second half of the summer). Initially shadowed Eliot, then split work for mutators with him. Overnights, miniprep, colony PCR, run gels, overnights, miniprep, colony PCR, run gels...also did assorted side projects as needed and was the only member to come into lab every single day for the last several weeks(weekends are for squares).

Planning on pursuing a major in Biological Sciences, focusing on molecular bio. Non-premed representing! May become Dr. Singh one day, but not THAT kind of Dr. Singh (there are already plenty of those).

I love video games - despite having virtually no means to play them currently (no consoles + my computer is a Mac + a $0 Steam account). I also enjoy reading and having Internet time (*introversion intensifies*). There is no place I enjoy being in more than a quiet, clean, well-lighted place. Animal shelter volunteering is also fun.

Spirit animals/organisms: Any extinct species? Therizinosaurus cheloniformis. Spirit lab instrument? Analytical balance.

Annie Zhang

Part time. Handled administrative jobs such as contacting sponsors and sales rep, ordering reagents, organizing meetings. Also took care of some basic wet-lab tasks.

Third year undergraduate majoring in biological sciences and minoring in statistics.

Making paper crafts, cooking, dancing, reading cool science articles/papers

Spirit animals/organisms: The majestic wolf. Occasionally (Constantly) transforms into moon moon.

Advisers

Dr. Michael Rust

Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology

Faculty Adviser

Dr. James Shapiro

Dr. Jennifer Moran

Dr. Bryan Dickinson

Dr. Eileen Dolan

Dr. Allan Drummond

Dr. Andrey Rzhetsky

Dr. Kevin White

Vivian Choi

MSTP Adviser

Danny Chan

Graduate Adviser

Justin Chew

MSTP Adviser