Meet Gamage Mauli Aruggoda of Hunter College - The City University of New York. Gamage is a PhD student and a member of Frida Kleiman's lab within the Chemistry Department. She returned to campus to attend the 2017 Eukaryotic mRNA Processing meeting where she presented a poster titled "HuR ubiquitination by BRCA1/BARD1 and its role in controlling gene expression during DMA damage response".  

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
I am interested in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by RNA binding proteins. I am working on how ubiquitination of the RNA binding protein HuR by the tumor suppressors BRCA1/BARD1 regulates gene expression during the progression of the DNA damage response

Was there something specific about the Eukaryotic mRNA Processing meeting that drew you to attend?
For me, this meeting is an amazing opportunity to meet the leaders in the field and peers working in diverse areas of RNA processing. I was eager to share my work in a poster presentation with colleagues; and I received productive criticism that will allow me to improve my research project.  

What is your key takeaway from the meeting?
I am gaining a lot from this meeting. Besides learning of the latest findings in research, technical advances, thought-provoking novel ideas, and massive amount of knowledge generated by large-scale studies in different fields, I am also getting to know peers working on the same research areas. 

How many CSHL meetings have you attended?
To date, I have attended two CSHL meetings (Eukaryotic mRNA Processing, 2016 Translational Control) and hope to attend the Regulatory & Non-Coding RNAs meeting in 2018.

If someone curious in attending your meeting asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
You spend a few days with people who not only share your interests but also want to engage into conversation. These discussions enrich your thinking and provide you with different perspectives on your work. In general, I think it is an inspiring opportunity and attending this meeting is a wonderful professional and personal experience. 

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
The meeting is set in a beautiful and relaxing environment – an ideal space to spend with my colleagues.

Thank you to Gamage for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured scientists - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course – go here.