Undergraduate Program
Garrett
Lillian
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"Genetics: The Secret of Life"
Peer Mentors, 2012 - 2013
Garrett Smith, Junior in Genetics and Microbiology
- Study group leader for
- Hometown
- Career Plans
- First, I will go to grad school and see what they know. In the more distant future, I think it would be valuable to develop a method of growing Archaea in non-extreme environments. Who knows what else these organisms could do?
- Clubs/Activities
- MIcro Club, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council, undergraduate research come fall 2013. I also enjoy participating in the Relay for Life in March.
- Favorite Course or Class-Related Experience
- MIcro 320 and 440 with Professor Halverson. I will not dispute the rigor of the courses. However, I found these classes quite interesting and valuable. In the lecture, 320, we learn pretty much about everything bacterial. For instance, did you know that proteins can be assembled by mechanisms other than ribosomes, and in fact this is how many antibiotics are made? In the lab, 440, we do lots of molecular biology and ended up doing rDNA sequence analysis and editing, among many other things, and ultimately producing a huge paper nearly fit to be published. Not quite publishable material, but as close as you might get in class!
- Favorite Quote from "The Language of Life"
- Some people are resistant to some strains of HIV due to a 32 bp deletion in a receptor gene, resulting in a complete loss of function mutaiton. As Francis S. Collins describes it, "This deletion of 32 base pairs is therefore a particularly severe one, since 32 is not divisible by three. We call this a frameshift mutation because it throws off the reading frame. If your DNA has such a mutation, iti slik ereadin gword slik ethes e."
- What I wish I'd known the first day of class!
- You aren't in Kansas anymore. It is important to know where you are and where you are going. Use landmarks - my favorite was the water tower.
Brianna Brun, Senior in Genetics
- Study group leader for:
- Hometown
- Career Plans
- Clinical Geneticist: I always liked problem solving, but knew I wanted more contact with the individuals benefiting from medical studies than research could give me. Because of this, I originally wanted to be a Genetic Counselor. I liked that it combined Genetics, Psychology, and Medicine. The trip to the University of Iowa showed me an option that combined the aspects I liked from both research and genetic counseling and helped me realize that Pediatric Medical Genetics is a career I would truly enjoy. Update on Brianna's Plans: Brianna has been accepted to the M.D. program at the University of Iowa for Fall 2013. Best wishes Brianna!
- Clubs/Activities
- Genetics Club, Pre-Med Club, Alpha Phi Omega, and Beta Beta Beta
- Favorite Course or Class-Related Experience
- I sincerely enjoyed taking Biochemistry with Dr. Beitz my junior year. The tests were difficult, but I loved that I could ask Dr. Beitz any biochemistry related question and get an answer. This class taught me why skin peels after a severe sunburn and the downfalls of some diet plans.
- Favorite Quote from "The Language of Life"
- About Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome: "And in less than a year, the search led to the discovery of a single mutated letter in the DNA code, a T that should have been a C, located in the middle of a gene that codes for the protein lamin A. ...It was breathtaking to consider that this one single-letter mutation, out of a 3 billion-letter genome, was the cause of such a dramatic disease."
- What I wish I'd known the first day of class!
- I wish I knew how to use my resources. Upperclassmen have shown to be incredibly useful for course scheduling and during my medical school application process.
Kassi Guinn, Sophomore in Genetics
- Study group leader for
- Hometown
- Career Plans
- I would like to pursue a career in Pediatric Medicine and also researching childhood obesity. Eventually I would like to open my own practice in a rural area.
- Clubs/Activities
- Pre-Med Club, Beta Beta Beta, Pi Beta Phi, Freshmen Council, ISU Blood Drive, and PWSE Student Role Model
- Favorite Course or Class-Related Experience
- Biology 212 lab has been my favorite course thus far. It was my first real experience with physiology and sparked my interested. My career goals were given a second thought because of this course.
- Favorite Quote from "The Language of Life"
- “The secret of life was revealed, so many people thought. As our understanding has grown, however, so has our awareness of our ignorance.” Everyday science is advancing and progressing. This quote shows that research is never finished and there is always more to be discovered.
- What I wish I'd known the first day of class!
- Your book does not need to accompany you!
Lillian Howard, Sophomore in Genetics
- Study group leader for:
- Hometown
- Career Plans
- My goal is to be accepted into a med school and ultimately have a career as a pediatric oncologist.
- Clubs/Activities
- I am a member of Genetics Club and Colleges Against Cancer. I have worked in a genetics lab and was also an active member of the Freshmen Honors Program as well as Women in Science and Engineering.
- Favorite Course or Class-Related Experience
- I had the opportunity to take part in a course called HON 322B. It was a study abroad course and we went to Belize over spring break to build stoves and latrines for the Mayan villages. It was a great experience and I encourage everyone to get involved in study abroad if they are able.
- Favorite Quote from "The Language of Life"
- “If you started this book with the notion that you are a perfect genetic specimen, I have bad news for you. There are none.”
- What I wish I'd known the first day of class!
- I wish I hadn’t blown off the idea of attending SI and getting a tutor so fast. Looking back, I think they would have helped that first semester.
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Learning Community Information
Jered
Iman
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