2007 Amgen Scholars

	Gerardo Alcazar I am a senior at the University of Houston majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. My previous reseach experience consists of the Heart, Lung, Blood Summer Reseach Program at Case Western School of Medicine working with the effects of Mevastatin on the cholesterol pathway in Bronchial Smooth Cells. This summer, I am working in Dr. Klevit's Lab trying to understand the structural Biochemistry between mutants of BRCA1 and UbcH5 in a yeast two hybrid. I am a founder and first president of the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Lambda Theta Phi, Latin Fraternity Inc. My chapter is very involved in mentoring and tutoring underpriviledged children at Lantrip Elementary. In addition to the active role I serve in my fraternity, I like to dance, watch GOOD movies, and eat my mother's home-cooked Mexican food.
	Saba Alniemi I am a rising senior at Montana State University majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience. This summer, I have been working in Dr. Hong Shen’s lab in the department of Chemical Engineering. My research project focuses on Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) located on the inner-endosomal walls of dendritic cells. Contacting these TLRs has been a challenge in vaccine development, so the focus of my research is to develop a better method for activating these TLRs and enhancing the immune response. Currently, we are engineering biodegradable nanoparticles to try and meet this goal. Outside of academics, I enjoy floating, whitewater rafting, camping, and baking (I can make some seriously delicious cookies). I am also currently applying to medical school, and hope to return to the University of Washington through their WWAMI program.
	Jeffrey Cloutier I'm a junior at Middlebury College, VT majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry. My research interest lies in the field of cancer biology. Outside of academia I enjoy racing my bike, climbing mountains, and playing hockey. After Middlebury I plan to pursue an MD/PhD.
	Amanda Crawford Amanda is now officially a senior at Saint Mary's College of CA. She has lived in the Bay Area all her life and this is her first visit to Seattle. She is excited about graduate school and hopes it will be at the University of Washington. This is her first significant research experience and she'll be exploring Immunology. The main goal is to be able to create more efficient (and safe) vaccines, first by figuring out the mechanisms through which we can instruct particular routes of T cell development to give us long-term protective immunity, and then applying that to various infectious diseases. Aside from research she likes hiking, watching the natural wildlife, and enjoying the company of creative individuals.
	Melvin Donaldson Melvin studies the activity of the human muscle creatine kinase promoter with Dr. Robert E. Welikson in the Hauschka lab. He is a sophomore at the University of Washington in the department of Bioengineering, one of ten undergraduates directly admitted in Autumn 2006. He intends to pursue a graduate degree in the sciences after completing his undergraduate work and hopes to research in vaccine development in the future. In his freetime, Melvin is an Instrument-rated Private Pilot and flies recreationally when he can, plays Jazz bass and is president of the Stevens/Mercer Activity Council for 2007–2008. He'd like to especially thank Rob and Steve for taking him on and making room in the lab for him and all the folks for making that lab like family. Melvin plans to graduate in the Spring of 2010.
	Stanley Gu Stanley was born in Sacramento, California but moved to the Seattle area where he is now a Junior at the University of Washington majoring in Bioengineering. This summer, he is working in the Lin Lab studying the dielectrophoresis of DNA in microfluidic devices. Stanley's previous research includes mathematical modeling of glioma brain tumors in the Swanson Lab, which is currently hosting other Amgen scholars. His hobbies include playing the guitar, bicycling, tennis, cooking, and watching movies.
	Jennifer Hadley Jennifer is a rising senior studying Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. This summer she is working with Dr. Kristin Swanson in the Pathology Department of the University of Washington studying [18F]-FMISO Positron Emission Tomography Images of gliomas. Her previous research experience includes working with Dr. Kathryn Miller in the Biology Department at Washington University to manipulate and map fly DNA to study the role of Myosin VI in development, and working with Dr. Igor Efimov in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Washington University to characterize the structural and molecular abnormalities associated with a specific model of heart failure. She hopes to pursue a combined MD and PhD in Biomedical Engineering after graduation from Washington University, and her research interests include mathematical modeling, novel forms of biomedical imaging, and bioelectric phenomena. Outside of the lab, Jennifer serves on the Student Government and is the Editor-in-Chief of Spires, Washington University's Literary Magazine.
	Kyle Hansen I am a rising senior at the University of California San Diego, majoring in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and minoring in music. Previously, I have been involved with academic research through Dr. Sylvia Evans lab at UCSD. In Dr. Evans lab I studied a subset of voltage gated channel proteins and how they are involved with the pacemaking current of both the adult and embryonic heart. This summer I am working in Dr. Alexander Rudenskys lab, studying the mechanisms of immune self-tolerance through regulatory T-cells. Specifically, I am examining the differences between T-cell Receptor repertoires in a number of different transgenic mouse lines. The primary goal is to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms our immune system uses to prevent autoimmune disease. Outside of academics, I have played volleyball for UCSD, and been an active member of the Flying Sams UCSD sub-chapter. In my free time I enjoy surfing, playing music, skating, Frisbee, running, and hiking. After graduation I hope to pursue a combined MD/PhD degree.
	Joel Herness I am a Senior at the University of Washington, majoring in chemistry. Currently, I am doing research with the Chiu group in the department of Chemistry, doing work in microfluidics and droplet chemistry and how these fields can be used in the study of biology. I love playing and watching sports and enjoy running and basketball to pass my free time in the summer. I enjoy going out to fun and quirky restaurants/lounges at night. I love music, though I have no clue how to play it, and am always open to new and exciting experiences. I’m trying to become a wine connoisseur in my spare time, to feel more sophisticated!
	Joyce Hwang I am a junior at Princeton University, NJ and am currently having a fantastic summer in the Sibley lab researching the genetics of drug resistance in malarial parasite. My previous research experience has been in anemia, cancer and HIV. At Princeton I am majoring in molecular biology and hope to pursue either an MD or MD/PhD after graduation. Outside of academics I play the violin, advocate around AIDS, and am on the editorial board of one of the campus science magazines. I am a resident of beautiful Hong Kong and Singapore, and am finding Seattle to be a wonderful and intellectually exciting city.
	Amanda Loshbaugh I am interested in elucidating protein structure and mechanisms to explain health issues that affect an organism as a whole. It is only by examining biomolecules that we can begin to understand the complexities of a living system. Exploring angstrom-scale phenomena in vivo necessarily combines chemistry and cell biology. I also enjoy studying religious philosophies of South Asia, particularly the rich scholarly tradition of Vedanta, but also Buddhist and Sufi concepts. These religions attempt to explain life using an approach rather different than biochemical determinism. In my spare time I listen to music like there's no tomorrow, shop the Ave, volunteer for animals, draw, and write.
	Alexandra MacKenzie I am a senior at the University of Washington and am majoring in biochemistry. After I graduate I plan to pursue a Ph.D in biochemistry and a career in research. Currently, I am investigating muscle gene expression at the transcriptional level with Dr. Stephen Hauschka. My project looks specifically at an intronic suppressive regulatory element in the gene Muscle Creatine Kinase. I hope to explore this element's potential as a universal transcriptional suppressor and decipher the mechanism by which this element functions. In my free time I enjoy cheesy movies, crafts, swimming (indoor and out), hiking, bouldering (just started) and playing the clarinet.
	Susan Massey Susan is a fifth year student working toward her B.S. in Mathematics. While she enjoys pure math, she desires to apply her acquired skills in logic and problem solving to studying pediatric neurological disorders. Her initial interest in neuroscience deepened as a participant in UDOC (summer 2002), while observing occupational therapists at the Center on Human Development and Disability at the University of Washington work with pediatric patients. During the past two summers, Susan worked as a camp counselor for Seattle Parks and Recreation Specialized Programs Youth Camp, which serves kids of ages 4 to 21 that have a wide range of abilities and neurological or behavioral disorders. Having thus gained perspective on the more human side of disorders such as autism, she hopes to use her love of science to research causes and interventions for pediatric neurological disorders, as well as put them into practice, by pursuing an MD/PhD degree. Additionally, Susan hopes to teach and pass on the insight she gained from taking part in doctor-patient-family interactions while caring for her mother and 10 year old brother throughout her mother’s bone marrow transplant (and the associated work-up and follow-up) during the 2005-06 school year. Her research experience includes analyzing the effectiveness of follow up visits for patients one year post bone marrow transplantation with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This summer Susan is working in the lab of Dr. Kristin Swanson, working on an experimental model of glioma growth. Outside of school and the lab, Susan enjoys reading, music, hiking, spending time with her family, and performing with Clean Slate Improv, a talented nonprofessional improvisational theater troupe affiliated with Green Lake Seventh-Day Adventist church.
	Brian Meckes Brian is a junior at Rice University majoring in bioengineering. This summer, he is working with Dr. Zhou in biostatistics. His research involves the use of diagnostic tests in discriminating vascular dementia from Alzheimer’s Disease in patient groups. Specifically, he is evaluating the Hachinski Ischemic Score in distinguishing between these two patient groups. After finishing at Rice University, he plans to pursue a PhD and a career in research. Outside of lab, he enjoys soccer, dodge ball, and watching movies.
	Julia Moore Julia grew up in northern Utah and moved to Seattle to attend school. She is currently a junior at the University of Washington, majoring in Applied Computational and Mathematical Sciences and Microbiology. In addition to studying for school, she works in a lab that studies the growth and spread of gliomas, which are very diffuse brain tumors. Julia plans to obtain a PhD in the sciences, focusing on the use of mathematical models to describe immunological phenomena. Her hobbies outside of school and work include salsa dancing and sailing.
	Eric Nguyen I am a rising junior at UW who is triple-majoring in Biology, Computer Science, and History & Philosophy of Science. Previously I've done data analysis (and some research) involving calcium channels in different types of cells. My project this summer will involve identifying mouse reproductive proteins that are important in maintaining species barriers. Outside of class, I'm the webmaster for Tribeta (UW's biology honors society); I also enjoy frisbee, good music, browsing Wikipedia, and wandering around campus.
	Kok Shuen "Iris" Pang I'm a rising senior at the University of Washington, majoring in Molecular Biology. Currently, I am working at Professor Alexander Rudensky's lab in the Immunology Department. Our lab is interested in understanding more about the development and function of a subset of lymphocytes called the Regulatory T cells (Treg) and their role in autoimmunity. My project investigates the effect of Treg ablation on the status of other immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells in various organs in mice. I am very interested in this field and I intend to pursue a PhD in Immunology after my graduation. Outside of academics, I enjoy traveling around the world as much as staying in my room. In fact, I grew in Hong Kong, but moved to Seattle only five years ago. And, I've just spent ten weeks studying abroad in Prague, the Czech Republic last spring. In my free time, I enjoy reading and surfing on the Internet. I also love to sing in my church choir.
	Camille Petri I am a rising junior at Boston College originally hailing from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. I plan to graduate in the spring of 2009 with a major in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. This summer I am working in Dr. Paul Yager's lab in microfluidics, studying the preservation of a secondary gold conjugate antibody used in a sandwich assay format. After graduating from Boston College, I plan to attend medical school, (perhaps UW, who knows?), and hopefully specialize in women's health. When not thinking about science, I like to spend my time singing with my a cappella group, the Sharps, hiking and running.
	Ryan Quarfoth I am a junior at Harvey Mudd College, one of the Claremont Colleges near Los Angeles. I am a General Engineering major at Harvey Mudd, and am doing research for Professor Rene Overney in the Chemical Engineering department this summer at the UW. The goal of my research project is to use atomic force microscopy to image the surface of agar at different concentrations. We hope to be able to find specific differences in the surface of agar as we change the concentration. I plan to attend graduate school for a Ph.D., perhaps in Chemical Engineering (but it might end up being Electrical or Computer Engineering). I enjoy playing tennis, soccer and skiing.
	Patricia Sanchez Vazquez I'm an Industrial Biotechnology student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I am really interested in the Biotechnological potential of extremophiles, especially the thermophilic and halophilic microorganism. I have been working in a microbiology lab for one year and I'm hoping to stay there until I graduate. Before that I worked in a biochemistry lab for a year. I decided to continue with my studies through the PhD so I can have the privileged of working in the research and development department of a biotechnology industry. I really enjoy being outdoors in touch with nature especially in forest, at the beach and camping.
	Mark Sena I am from Santa Fe, New Mexico and moved here two years ago to attend the University of Washington. I love the Northwest and enjoy skiing, rock climbing and hiking when I can. I am most interested in the field of nanotechnology and molecular bioengineering. I have been in Dr. Xiaohu Gao’s lab for over a year working on bioapplications of fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles called “quantum dots”. Currently, I am working on using quantum dots as reporters in a microfluidic immunoassay under Dr. Paul Yager.
	Wendy Tse I am a rising senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience. I previously worked on npcRNA research at the Center for Experimental Pathology at the University of Munster in Germany. I am currently working in a microbiology lab at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, researching the mucosal immune system, specifically how cigarette smoke and female sex hormones influence immune responses. I am working with Dr. Martha Bosma this summer, researching spontaneous synchronous activity in the chick midbrain and the role of the isthmus in regulating midbrain activity. I love dancing, watching the Mariners, rockclimbing, kayaking, traveling, telling jokes, reading classifieds, listening to country music, and going on adventures. I also have a huge affinity towards anyone who speaks Cantonese or German.
	Kathy Wei I am a sophomore at the UW and I'm double majoring in Bioengineering and Computer Science. Right now, I am doing research in the Pun lab with the Bioengineering department. The overall goal is gene therapy, like delivering DNA to SCIDS patients, who lack the ability to make immune system cells. The twist is to deliver the DNA using polyplexes (man-made DNA and protein polymer complexes) instead of viruses. This is important because viruses can cause an immune response in the patient, can only be used once because of the immune response, and viruses have the potential for becoming pathogenic even if it has had all the viral DNA removed. I am working specifically on delivering DNA into neurons by attachingthe portion of the Clostridium tetani bacteria that allows it to get into neurons onto polyplexes so that the polyplexes can also get into neurons. Besides my awesome research, I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi books. Some favorites are: Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey, and Terry Pratchett. Perhaps not surprisingly, my favorite animals are dragons. I'm also read/watch a lot of anime/manga, in particular Ghost in a Shell, Trigun, ROD, Bleach, Hikaru no Go, Prince of Tennis, etc. I think that House and Grey's Anatomy are great shows and that both are hilarious.
	Risa Wong I am a rising senior at the UW and am majoring in physics. Currently, I’m doing biophysics research with Professor Jens Gundlach, working on driving single-stranded DNA molecules through nano-scale biological pores. One can theoretically determine the characteristics of molecules passing through the pore by looking at the ionic current through the pore over time. Ideally, if this mechanism of characterization is perfected, it can be used to directly sequence DNA quickly and effectively. After I graduate I plan to continue working in biophysics and pursue a M.D./Ph.D. Outside of academics, I sing in the UW Vocal Jazz Choir and am active in the EEP Drama Society (I directed a production of A Doll’s House last winter). This summer I am learning guitar and also looking to start a barbershop quartet, hopefully with other UW Amgen scholars if any are interested…
	Lianna Wood I am about to start my 5th and final year at the University of Washington studying chemistry and history. I just spent the last year at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, which was a totally new experience, but I'm excited to return to Seattle. I am from the Seattle area, Redmond to be specific. In my free time, I enjoy being out on or in the water, as well as playing me cello. For the last several years, my primary activity outside of the classroom has been research, though. I've worked on a wide variety of research projects from an archaeological dig in Bermuda to an internship at a biotechnology company in Seattle, but most recently, I have been particularly interested in the study of disease mechanisms, particularly infectious disease, through the application of biochemical and spectroscopic techniques. I intend to pursue a PhD in biochemistry and an MD to become an infectious disease researcher and practicing physician.