About US
Organizer: Layla Oesper, Department of Computer Science, Carleton College
Contact Info: loesper-at-carleton-dot-edu, http://www.cs.carleton.edu/faculty/loesper/
About: Dr. Oesper's is a faculty member at Carleton College. Her research focuses on the design of algorithmic methods to analyze sequencing data of cancer patients, with an emphasis on developing methods that support inference and analysis of tumor evolution. Dr. Oesper is also very engaged in activities to expand undergraduate exposure to computational biology including hosting an undergraduate computational biology workshop in 2018, and supporting conference attendance by undergraduates from four different undergraduate focused liberal arts colleges.
Pronouns: She/Her
Organizer: Getirira Onsongo, Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science Department, Macalester College
Contact Info: gonsongo-at-macalester-dot-edu, http://getiria-onsongo.com/
About: Dr. Onsongo is a faculty member at Macalester College. He works on developing accurate and scalable tools for analyzing genomics data in the clinic. His most recent work includes a clinically validated software for detecting copy number variants in the clinic. Dr. Onsongo is interested in increasing access and diversity in Computer Science where all students can thrive. In his introductory courses, he teaches a module on the “hidden curriculum” geared towards first generation college students to help them thrive.
Pronouns: He/Him
Organizer: Robin Shields-Cutler, Biology Department, Macalester College
Contact Info: rshield2-at-macalester-dot-edu, https://rshield2.wixsite.com/robin-shields-cutler
About: Dr. Shields-Cutler is a faculty member at Macalester College. His research explores the relationships between microbiomes and their hosts, and the biochemical factors that regulate those communities. Ongoing projects that include undergraduate researchers in his lab pose these questions in the context of cancer patients, wild and captive non-human primates, and forest soils. His teaching aims to create inclusive learning spaces that highlight connections between disciplines within and beyond biology, and promote computational and bioinformatic approaches to modern problems in microbiology and genetics.
Pronouns: He/Him
Organizer: Freddy Barragan, Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science Department, Macalester College
Contact Info: fbarraga-at-macalester-dot-edu, https://freddybarragan.netlify.app
About: Freddy is a junior Statistics major and Community & Global Health concentrator at Macalester College. Broadly, their interests revolve around survival disparities for minoritized communities and bayesian biostatistical methods in epidemiology. Her ongoing projects with the division of Epidemiology & Clinical Research at the University of Minnesota focus on the epigenomics and survival of pediatric cancers. Beyond statistics, they're passionate about public health access, harm reduction, and reclaiming space for nonwhite & LGBT+ communities in higher education.
Pronouns: They/Them or She/Her