Name: Nikko Gutierrez Hometown: Glendale, CA Lab: Regulatory Biology Laboratory of Satchidananda Panda Lab websites: https://panda.salk.edu/ Hobbies: Eating, sports What do you study? I am part of a lab that studies Circadian biology which means we look at all aspects of biology that involve circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are a natural process that our bodies go through and it helps regulate […]

Name: Carter Palmer (pictured right) Hometown: Denver, CO Lab: Dr. Jerold Chun Lab website: http://labs.sbpdiscovery.org/ What do you study? There are almost as many cells in your brain as there are stars in the milky way galaxy! Some of these cells have very different functions; some make memories, some help you think, and some keep […]

Name: Carlos Medina Hometown: Pleasanton, CA Hobbies: Reading, Piano, Running, Hiking, Soccer Lab: I’m in Dr. Steven Dowdy’s lab at UC San Diego. Lab website: http://dowdylab.ucsd.edu What do you study? In my lab, I am studying cancer biology and ways to treat cancer. Ultimately, we are trying to develop a therapeutic that can target specific […]

Name: Catherine Lopez Hometown: Union City, CA Lab: Regulatory Biology Laboratory of Satchidananda Panda Lab websites: https://panda.salk.edu/ Hobbies: Playing Among Us, building mechanical keyboards, petting my cats, taking long walks outside, eating new foods What do you study? I am part of a lab that studies Circadian biology which means we look at all aspects of biology that […]

Name: Elora Williams Hometown: Salmon, Idaho Lab: Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory of Xin Jin Lab websites: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/xin-jin/ Hobbies: Volleyball, surfing, yoga, hiking, painting, reading, and trying anything new What do you study? I am a research assistant/lab coordinator within a neuroscience lab. I currently study learning by measuring neurochemicals in the brain while animals perform a task to get a reward. […]

  Name: Sara McBride Hometown: San Diego, CA Lab: Molecular and Systems Physiology Laboratory of Janelle Ayres Lab websites: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/janelle-ayres/ Hobbies: Writing Historical Fiction, Travel What do you study? We study why some people survive a disease, like influenza or sepsis, and why others get very ill or die. We study the metabolic pathways, the microbiota, and other aspects […]

  Name: Margaret Burns Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI Lab: Yeo Lab Lab websites: https://yeolab.github.io/ Hobbies: Cooking, surfing, hiking What do you study? I study how cancer cells survive and spread in the body. I’m interested in how cancer cells can communicate with each other using small pieces of RNA called microRNA. Why is it important? This is important for […]

Name: Jasmin Revanna Hometown: Birmingham, AL Lab: Laboratory of Genetics of Dr. Rusty Gage Lab websites: https://gage.salk.edu/ Hobbies: dancing, dog parks, running What do you study? Before coming to San Diego for graduate school, I worked on making tools to change gene expression levels – essentially to turn genes on and off. The purpose of these tools is the understand what certain […]

  Name: Jessica Zhou Hometown: San Diego, CA Lab: Integrative Biology Laboratory of Dr. Graham McVicker Lab website:  http://mcvicker.salk.edu/index.html Hobbies: reading, yoga, cooking What do you study? I analyze single-cell sequencing data to study regulatory genomics. Currently, I am using data from rats to study drug addiction. Why is it important? Understanding how biological processes are controlled can […]

  Name: Kelly Heard Hometown: Encinitas, CA Lab: Laboratory of Genetics of Dr. Rusty Gage Lab website: https://gage.salk.edu/ Hobbies: Mosaic art, going to the beach What do you study? I study depression and antidepressant resistance. Using skin cells from patients with depression, we can reprogram patient cells in the lab into pluripotent stem cells, which can become any type of […]