Kristy Carpenter

Role: Researcher and Student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, USA

Race/Ethnicity: Japanese and Alutiiq (Alaska Native)

Education: Expected: B.S. in Computer Science & Molecular Biology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Fun Fact: Kristy was first drawn to computer science when she programmed in Scratch as a middle school student.

About the Image: The background is a visualization Kristy made of a simulation showing the Ras protein interacting with a cell membrane. The Ras protein is involved in about 30% of human tumors. Blue indicates regions of the protein that contact the membrane the most. White indicates regions that do not contact the membrane as often. Red indicates regions that do not contact the membrane. Learning about how Ras interacts with the membrane helps scientists figure out what kind of drug might be most effective.