2009 Janelia Undergraduate Scholars

2009
This year's group of 16 summer scholars came from 15 colleges and universities across the United States and Europe, where they are studying fields such as chemical biology, biomedical engineering, physics, and computer science. The students' resumes boast an impressive list of accomplishments and a diversity of laboratory experience—but all arrived at Janelia Farm with open minds, ready to discover new areas of science.

Caroline Becker

Caroline Becker
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Major: Cell and Molecular Biology
Janelia Mentor: Eric Betzig
Caroline is using photoactivated localization microscopy to image at super-resolution the histone proteins that help package DNA in condensed chromosomes.

Nicole Carreras

Nicole Carreras
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
Major: Chemistry
Janelia Mentor: Loren Looger
Nicole is engineering and characterizing a red protein-based sensor for deep-tissue imaging of calcium transients.

Daniel Ferguson

Daniel Ferguson
Grinnell College
Major: Biology
Janelia Mentor: Anthony Leonardo
Dan is attempting to improve the longevity of dragonflies by treating them with neuroendocrine regulators.

Jan Funke

Jan Funke
Dresden University of Technology
Major: Computer Science
Janelia Mentor: Gene Myers
Jan is developing automated image-segmentation algorithms to help computers understand what is to be seen in electron-microscope images of the flatworm C. elegans and in brightfield-microscope images of neurons.

Xun (Helen) Hou

Xun (Helen) Hou
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Major: Biology and Physics
Janelia Mentor: Alla Karpova
Helen is investigating the neural basis of social interaction by studying rats as they compete against a computer in a mixed-strategy game.

Johnny Hu

Johnny Hu
Harvard University
Major: Chemical and Physical Biology
Janelia Mentor: Vivek Jayaraman
Johnny is using a free-walking arena and a tethered ball configuration to examine fruit flies' behavioral response to polarized light, which might serve as an important visual guide for fly movement.

Teddy Kamata

Teddy Kamata
University of Oxford
Major: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
Janelia Mentor: Bruce Baker
Teddy is screening genetically modified fruit fly lines to better characterize specific neurons that process information during courtship.

Rachel Letteri

Rachel Letteri
University of Notre Dame
Major: Chemical Engineering
Janelia Mentor: Luke Lavis
Rachel is synthesizing small fluorescent rhodamine molecules that are brighter than existing labeling molecules to allow researchers using two-photon microscopy to better visualize neural activity in live brain slices.

Lor Moa

Lor Moa
Gustavus Adolphus College
Major: Psychology
Janelia Mentor: Julie Simpson
Lor is screening neurons in fruit flies to identify those that are needed to control feeding behavior.

Brandi Rollins

Brandi Rollins
University of Mary Washington
Major: Physics
Janelia Mentor: Rex Kerr
Brandi is analyzing images for an advanced microscope system to observe neural activity in the flatworm C. elegans.

Kelly Seagraves

Kelly Seagraves
University of Colorado, Boulder
Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Janelia Mentor: Roian Egnor
Kelly is studying the vocalizations of isolated mouse pups and the corresponding adult behavioral response, in an effort to better understand vocal communication between mice in a social context.

Eric Trautman

Eric Trautman
University of California at Berkeley
Major: Chemical Biology
Janelia Mentor: Tim Harris
Eric is designing and building retroreflectors for tracing in-flight mechanics of dragonflies during prey capture.

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Yiliu Peter Wang
Cornell University
Major: Neurobiology and Behavior
Janelia Mentor: Scott Sternson
In live mice, Peter combines optical and pharmacological approaches to dissect the contribution of neurotransmitter release by a group of neurons that regulate feeding.

Gloria Wu

Gloria Wu
University of California at Berkeley
Major: Biochemistry
Janelia Mentor: Tzumin Lee
Gloria is mapping neurons in the fruit fly brain using florescent labels.

Shicong Mimi Xie

Shicong Mimi Xie
University of California at Berkeley
Major: Physics
Janelia Mentor: Harald Hess
Mimi implemented an autofocus function on the interferometric photoactivatable localization microscope (iPALM), and is analyzing the spectral response of gold nanoparticles for their use as imaging fiducials.

Hong Young Noh

Hong Young Noh
University of Cambridge
Major: Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering
Janelia Mentor: Dmitri Chklovskii
Hong studied the feasibility of “Compressive Sensing”, a relatively novel sampling concept, as a method for the sparse reconstruction of neuronal networks.

Photos: James Kegley

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