Sarah works in Dr. Michael Kay’s lab at the University of Utah, where she uses the law of symmetry to design drugs that prevent infections. Specifically, her projects focus on developing D-peptide drugs that stop Ebola virus and E. coli bacteria from entering and infecting cells. She uses a variety of techniques, including peptide synthesis and X-ray crystallography, to understand the details of how D-peptide drugs bind to their targets. Sarah hopes that her work will lead to treatment and preventative therapies that protect people from disease.

Danny works in Dr. Julie Hollien’s lab at the University of Utah, where he uses mammalian cells as a model to study cellular stress and neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, his project focuses on discovering relationship between lysosome repositioning, aggregated proteins, and how they can affect neurodegeneration. He uses a variety of techniques from cell biology, biochemistry, and genetics to answer his research questions. Danny would like to see his research contributing to deeper understanding of protein aggregates and neurodegeneration.

Rebecca works with Dr. Michael Shapiro at the University of Utah where she uses the domestic rock pigeon as a model to study the evolutionary developmental basis of phenotypic diversity in animals. With over 300 different breeds of domestic pigeon created from centuries of selective breeding for traits such as color, feather ornamentation, and behavior, the domestic pigeon is an ideal model for understanding the genetic and developmental basis of unique traits.

Rebecca enjoys reading, running, walking, and playing games.

Erin Cafferty is a graduate student in the Elde lab at the University of Utah. She studies poxviral evolutionary strategies which a particular interest in viral manipulation of host mechanisms. In the first year of her undergraduate studies, Erin developed a love for virology while in HHMI’s SEA-PHAGES program which provides hands-on research experience to underrepresented groups. As a first generation college student, Erin has a passion for outreach projects that help inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. In her free time, Erin enjoys camping, hiking, bar trivia, and creative pursuits such as painting and embroidery.

Julia Carleton works with Dr. Jay Gertz at the University of Utah. She is developing new technologies to study the ‘dark matter’ of the human genome that does not contain genes. She is using these tools to identify the switches that control genes and determine how these bits of DNA may contribute to cancer.

Julia enjoys Utah’s natural beauty through hiking, skiing, and canyoneering.

Mark Chynoweth works in Dr. Çağan Şekercioğlu’s laboratory at the University of Utah. Mark is most broadly interested in working with geospatial data to address applied ecological questions across a variety of scales. Currently, he is studying large carnivore ecology and conservation in human dominated landscapes. With a variety of methods, Mark is investigating how carnivores move across a modified landscape and use anthropogenic resources to survive. He hopes that his research will be used to guide conservation and management of carnivore species and protection of biodiversity at the ecosystem level.
Mark enjoys exploring the outdoors on foot, bikes or skis, playing music, and traveling to new places.

Amanda Cooper works in Dr. David Carrier’s lab at the University of Utah where she studies evolutionary morphology. Amanda’s focus is centered on functional morphology and the complex anatomy of vertebrates. She is interested in the evolutionary origins of dominance and aggression.