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 designing new cancer treatments. We can design more precise and effective treatments for patients when we understand how breast cancer spreads.
How did you become interested in science? I loved science classes and science fairs in school! It was the best part of my day to get to do hands-on experiments.
What do you like about being a scientist? I like that I get to find answers to questions that no one has been able to solve yet! It is very exciting to be able to say I’m the first to see a result or solve a scientific problem. The best part is that the work that I do can be used to improve treatment for patients with cancer. I have family members who have cancer and I think of them every day while I work.
What are 5 general vocabulary terms someone should know going into your field of science?
RNA, genome, mutation, cell, sequencing
What are 5 specific vocabulary terms someone should know about your research?
Metastasis, microRNA, DNA damage response, splicing, RNA-seq