Figure 1. Chanelle Case Borden, Ph.D. a postdoctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute's Experimental Immunology Branch, pipetting samples.

Welcome!

We're thrilled for you to participate in the Molecular Biology Lab Skills Workshop. We hope this quick, highly informative workshop will impart basic skills to be successful in the research lab.

We'll be covering multiple foundational topics such as lab safety, how to operate a micropipette and a microscope, how to keep a lab notebook, how to create solutions of specific concentrations, and even the theory and implementation of methods such as Polymerase Chain Reaction.

Below is a brief introduction to the members of our workshop team along with a schedule outlining our sessions together.

Dr. Beth Krizek

I first got interested in research as an undergraduate student working for two years as a summer intern in Christopher Walsh's lab in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Maryland. I measured the levels of the plant ripening hormone ethylene and its precursor ACC during peach development. After graduating from Duke University, I earned a PhD in Chemistry at Johns Hopkins studying a designed zinc finger transcription factor. After these experiences, I realized I wanted to study proteins in the context of an organism. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology where I studied transcription factors that regulate floral organ identity in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

I have continued working with Arabidopsis since becoming a faculty member here at the University of South Carolina. My research interests are focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms by which a small number of pluripotent stem cells give rise to an Arabidopsis flower. Currently, my lab studies a small subfamily of transcription factors, called AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE/PLETHORA (AIL/PLT) proteins, that regulate several aspects of floral organ development including initiation, identity specification and growth. We are using genomic approaches to identity the direct target of these transcription factors to better understand how they regulate floral organogenesis. Currently, I teach Plant Development (Biol 523) and Cell and Molecular Biology (Biol 302).

Dr. Andy Schumpert

My first taste of research came in the form of an undergraduate research project with Dr. Jeff Dudycha and Dr. Rekha Patel at USC. I was an undergraduate at the time with a love of all things biology and an intense interest in molecular and cellular biology. The first project I worked on attempted to establish a cell line from the microcrustacean Daphnia. While no cell line was created, I became interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the aging process of these fascinating invertebrates.

As a first generation college graduate, I fell in love with the puzzles associated with research and as such earned a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of South Carolina under the advisement of Dr. Rekha Patel. My dissertation focused on establishing Daphnia as a model system to be used in the field of research on molecular and organismal aging.

An integral part of the graduate program was a requirement to teach as a graduate student. I fell in love with teaching and knew that education was my future, I wanted to help others understand biology and love the science as I still do.

Currently, I teach BIOL 302 (Cellular and Molecular Biology), BIOL 303 (Fundamental Genetics), BIOL 599 (Epigenetics), BIOL 423 (Medicinal Botany), BIOL 546 (Biochemistry II) and BIOL 620 (Immunobiology).

Emily Swager

My first taste of research was working in a cancer research lab my junior year of undergrad. After that there was no going back. I absolutely loved everything about research and working in a lab. After that I did an internship with Caymen chemical my senior year and was tasked with fixing a patent for a drug the company wanted to sell but couldn't manufacture with the current synthesis outlined in the patent. That is when I started to love the puzzle of reading literature and trouble shooting. After I graduated, I worked in industry for a bit as a microbiologist. But my love of the lab brought me to USC to work on a Ph.D in Dr. Rekha Patel's lab, where I now work on studying pathways involved in cellular stress.

Although I find myself in the lab more often than not during this season of life, when I am not in the lab, I enjoy painting and charcoal art, playing violin and piano, and watching YouTube with my cat.

Tori Peacock

I have an undergraduate degree from Columbia College, SC in Biochemistry with minors in Biology, Environmental Studies, and English. My first research experience was during undergrad where I worked with my professor, Dr. Jessica Allen, on a project exploring the developing field of adaptive immunity in insects. I also got my first taste of teaching during undergrad when I worked as a writing consultant/class assistant for English 101 and 102, Biology 110, and Chemistry 122. I also had the opportunity to design and teach Math and Science Day workshops for middle and high schoolers every semester. I really enjoyed working with students in this capacity and decided that during my PhD I wanted to focus on teaching.

I'm currently in my sixth year and finishing up my Ph.D. with Dr. Jason L. Kubinak at the school of medicine. Our lab focuses on intestinal immunology, with focuses on MHC-II polymorphism, the gut microbiome, and response to infection. My current projects focus on how MHC-II diversity influences plasma cell and antibody diversity and how the immune system reacts to an intestinally derived septic event.

Throughout my graduate experience, I have made working as a graduate assistant a priority because I knew I loved working in education. I have worked as a GIA for Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry I and II, and Molecular Cell Biology. I also often teach a guest lecture on Flow Cytometry Assisted Sorting for the flow cytometry class at the medical school. After I graduate with my Ph.D., I plan to work toward becoming a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution.

Thelma Zaw

Hi! My name is Thelma Zaw, and I'm a senior majoring in Cardiovascular Technology with a minor in Anthropology. I was first introduced to research through the Molecular Biology Skills Workshop as a freshman, which gave me the foundational skills and confidence to seek out lab opportunities. I’ve since had the privilege of working in the Ellermann Lab, which investigates the role of bacteria—particularly E. coli—in the gut microbiome and its implications in Crohn’s disease. Within the lab, I conduct histopathological analysis of murine colon tissue, and some of the histology work I contributed to was included in a research paper published this year!

Outside of the lab, I'm involved in several campus organizations, including Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority, and the REMEDY Intervention Study. I also spent a semester competing on the USC Mock Trial Team. In my free time, I enjoy making podcasts with my sister, reading, and going on walks with friends.

Natalie Jackson

Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Jackson, and I am a senior majoring in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience with a minor in Business Administration. I was first introduced into the wonderful world of research by taking Dr. Schumpert's cell and molecular bio lab my sophomore year of college. After learning the basic lab techniques needed to pursue laboratory work, I felt confident in exploring undergraduate research that had a focus in biochemistry. For just over a year, I have had the privilege of working in Dr. Rekha Patel’s lab, which studies the mechanistic pathways involved in cellular stress. Under the support of my mentor Dr. Tricia Simon, I was able to present our research on the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) and its role in the neuromuscular disorder dystonia at Discover USC. I am excited to be a co-author on a research paper that is currently in review.

Outside of the lab, I am very passionate about engaging in public health initiatives and volunteering around the city of Columbia. I have worked as a medical scribe/optometric tech at a free eye health clinic, and I am a licensed certified nursing assistant (CNA). On campus, I'm involved as the president of Epsilon Psi Epsilon, a Pre-optometry Honors Society. I am the former president of Preston Ambassadors, and I previously mentored undergraduate students in the Multicultural Assistance Peer Program (MAPP). In my spare time I enjoy

being an amateur photographer, reading, and traveling.

Workshop Logistics

Each session will be held in Science and Technology Building (STB) room 455. Before each session, please read through the associated session materials here on our Google Site. This will act as our "lab manual" in a sense. We'll start each session by holding mini lectures and discussions about the methods and activties we'll be using and performing in the workshop that day. Please pay careful attention as Katelyn and Tricia go over the material as it will include the principles behind why it's important and logistics of how each session will be held.

After the mini lecture, we'll begin the activities of the day. This will vary from session to session and each session will more than likely have more than one experiment, method, or activity to complete that day. Emily and Tori will be helping everyone, answering questions, and demonstrating how various pieces of equipment and methods work. We'll also have two motivated undergraduate teaching assistants who will also be helping to ensure everyone has as much help as possible.

Once the activities for the session have concluded we'll have a short debriefing session with some discussion on big picture questions like: "Why is this important?" "How can this be applied to other systems?", etc.

Virtual Reality

Studies have shown that student engagement is enhanced when we can better visualize what we’re learning. In our workshop we’ll have one session with virtual reality to help better see what’s happening inside our cells! We'll provide the necessary equipment and links to explore inside a cell.

Funding for this workshop is provided by the McCausland Innovation Fund awarded to Dr. Beth Krizek and Dr. Andy Schumpert and NSF grant IOS-2211715 awarded to Dr. Beth Krizek.

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