2021 Graduate Retreat

Monday, August 23rd

9:30 – 10:00

Coffee Hour

Lobby/Outside

10:00 – 11:00

Welcome & Virtual Keynote Presentation

Dr. Jen Heemstra

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83600291141

Auditorium 1.110


11:00 – 11:15

Break


11:15 – 12:15

Graduate Student Poster Session

Room 2.102


12:15 – 1:30

Lunch

Dining Hall/Outside


1:30 – 3:00

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Session

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89521972880

Auditorium 1.110


3:00 – 3:15

Break


3:15 – 3:30

Awards & Closing Remarks

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89521972880

Auditorium 1.110


3:30 – 4:00

BMEntored Peer Group Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89521972880

Auditorium 1.110



Tuesday, August 24th


1:00 – 1:30

30 Minute Chat with Dr. Heemstra

https://utexas.zoom.us/j/91530232351


Meet our Keynote Speaker Jen Heemstra!

Talk Title: Failure can fuel your success: when you become a student of your struggles

Jen received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine, in 2000. At Irvine, she performed undergraduate research with Prof. James Nowick investigating the folding of synthetic beta-sheet mimics, which instilled in her a love of supramolecular chemistry. Jen then moved to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she completed her Ph.D. with Prof. Jeffrey Moore in 2005 studying the reactivity of pyridine-functionalized phenylene ethynylene cavitands. After a brief stint in industry as a medicinal chemist, she moved to Harvard University to pursue postdoctoral research with Prof. David Liu exploring mechanisms for templated nucleic acid synthesis. In 2010, Jen began her independent career in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah, and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2016. In 2017, Jen and her research group moved to the Department of Chemistry at Emory University. Research in the Heemstra lab is focused on harnessing the molecular recognition and self-assembly properties of nucleic acids for applications in biosensing and bioimaging. Outside of work, Jen enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, as well as rock climbing, cycling, and running.

Poster Presentations

  1. A Multifunctional Electrospun Wrap to Treat Infection and Enhance Bone Regeneration

Sarah Jones
Cosgriff-Hernandez Lab

We are working to develop a multifunctional wrap to treat infection and enhance bone regeneration during the Masquelet technique to treat large bone defects.

  1. Rausch Lab Overview
    Chien-Yu (Christina) Lin
    Rausch Lab

  2. High-Throughput FRAP Analysis of Solute Diffusion in Hydrogels
    Nate Richbourg
    Peppas Lab

  3. Influence of age and sex on biaxial mechanics of mouse skin
    Ella Sugerman
    Rausch Lab

    In this study we are investigating the biaxial mechanics of skin from young and aged male and female mice. We compare stiffness metrics and composition based on histology.

  4. Receptors use coated-pit heterogeneity to evade competition
    Sadhana Gollapudi
    Stachowiak Lab

    Membrane receptors have different affinities to adaptor proteins, such as AP2, involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Receptor affinity determines the degree of internalization by CME. This work shows that receptors with low affinity to AP2 are immune to competition within the clathrin-coated pit.

  5. A Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Sensor of Steric Pressure on Membrane Surfaces
    Justin Houser
    Stachowiak Lab

  6. Membrane bending by protein phase separation
    Feng Yuan
    Stachowiak Lab

    In this project we tried to learn the physics of how protein liquid-liquid phase separation bends lipid membranes.

  7. Asymmetric interactions between epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like subpopulations in triple-negative breast cancer cells
    Andrea (Didi) Gardner
    Brock Lab

    Investigating interactions between sub-populations of triple-negative breast cancer cells. Keywords: ecology, tumor heterogeneity, scRNA-seq, math modeling


  1. High-Throughput Optimization of NanoCluster Beacons using an NGS Platform
    Yu-An Kuo
    Yeh Lab

    We demonstrated a high-throughput selection and optimization of a fluorescent nanomaterial, NanoCluster Beacons, using an next-generation sequencing platform provided by Illumina. Here we also identified critical positions affecting the fluorescence activation of our material.

  2. Development of a High Compliance Vascular Graft with Improved Kink Resistance
    Andrew Robinson
    Cosgriff-Hernandez Lab

    Intimal hyperplasia and kink based failures are prevalent failure mechanisms for small diameter synthetic grafts due to mismatched compliance and occlusion. The development of a high compliant vascular graft with kink resistance would significantly improve CABG outcomes.