Visitor of the Week: Mohamed "Mo" Gatie

Meet Mohamed “Mo” Gatie of the Sloan Kettering Institute. Mo is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis’ lab. He took part in our 2021 Mouse Engineering Virtual Minicourse and returned last month to train, in-person, at the Mouse Development, Stem Cells & Cancer course last month.

Tell us about your research.
How cells differentiate and acquire specific identities, organize in an orchestrated manner to generate an anatomical, fully functional organ remains an elusive mystery in developmental biology. To understand the mechanisms that govern the formation of endodermal organs, I use high resolution imaging with single-cell genomic technologies, coupled with precision mouse genetics approaches to further our understanding of normal endodermal organ development; a cornerstone for improving the understanding and treatment of congenital birth defects.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
During my graduate training, I focused on trying to understand the role metabolism plays in lineage decision using in vitro systems. However, for my postdoctoral work, I wanted to switch gears and study later stages of development and use the mouse as a model organism. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the lab of Dr. Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis who is an expert in mammalian embryo development, with a longstanding interest in the endoderm, the tissue which gives rise to the respiratory and digestive tracts and associated organs.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My earliest childhood inspiration would have to be my uncle. I was always amazed by his ability to take things apart, fix them, and put them back together. This really resonated with me, as in developmental biology, we follow a similar process when we’re trying to understand normal development and/or disease.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
In addition to advancing the field of developmental biology, I would like to provide increased opportunities to marginalized groups, minorities and women in science to remove the barriers these groups face and make science more inclusive and accessible to all.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to have a paper or two published from my postdoctoral work and focus on my career path towards an independent research program to do science and mentor the next generation of scientists.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The scientific freedom to explore the unknown. The most satisfying aspect of research is when you first make a discovery--big or small--and for that moment in time you are the only person who knows about it.

What drew you to apply to this course?
The CSHL Mouse Development, Stem Cells and Cancer course is an intensive, 3-week course that brings together world-class researchers, instructors and students to learn and exchange their unique knowledge and expertise. Coming into this with little mouse experience, this course was exactly what I needed to enhance my competence in this area of science. The instructors and TAs were extremely knowledgeable and approachable, and truly made this experience unforgettable.

What is your key takeaway from the course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The course was designed in a way to expose us to many different techniques. The point is not to be an expert, but perhaps learn and develop valuable skills that we can take back to our own labs and implement into our individual research projects.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
JUST DO IT! The lectures and the technical knowledge and various topics you will learn about during this course are invaluable.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the course?
The most memorable aspect is easily the collaboration I established with the CSHL Metabolomics course. I wanted to expand my knowledge and was lucky enough to interact with the students and instructors from the Metabolomics course, which was taking place at the same time as the mouse course. We were able to work on a project together and present the data to the class. Collaboration is exactly what science is all about, and CSHL is the perfect place for this.

Is this your first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic? If so, any thoughts you’d like to share?
Yes, this is my very first workshop ever. To many around the world, this pandemic has been very difficult. We in science thrive on collaboration, networking, discussing ideas as well as going to conferences to learn and present our work. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the CSHL Mouse Development, Stem Cells and Cancer course to learn from experts in the field and learn from amazing individuals.   

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
Without a doubt, it is the people I met in the course. I really enjoyed being able to thoroughly plan experiments, talk about science and just spend time at the bar relaxing after a long day with all the wonderful folks. The friendships that I have gained from this course will be everlasting.

Mohamed received a scholarship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to cover a portion of his course tuition. On behalf of Mo, thank you to HHMI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Mo 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.

Image provided by Mohamed Gatie

Visitor of the Week: Kate Nesbit

Meet Katherine “Kate” Nesbit of San Diego State University! Kate is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Nicholas Shikuma’s lab and is taking part in the 2022 course of Advanced Bacterial Genetics. This is her first course at CSHL and the first in-person course since COVID-19 began in 2020. Here is what Kate has to say of her experience so far:

I would just like to commend the instructors and the course organizers from CSHL for all of the work they did to ensure the class ran as smoothly as possible. It was so refreshing to come together for an intensive science experience and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be here and be inspired by everyone’s work.

Tell us about your research.
Bacteria in the ocean play essential roles in the lives of marine animals. I study how larvae (the babies) of marine animals can sense and respond to bacterial cues that drive major changes in development (like turning into an adult).

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
Life evolved in the worlds’ oceans, the epicenter for microbial life. The microbes around us play major roles in our biology. Relationships with bacteria, often thought of as “good” or “bad”, in reality, exist on a spectrum. At the end of my PhD, I was curious to learn more about the context surrounding microbes and their relationships with marine invertebrates. So many marine larvae rely on bacteria during their life cycles and have diverse interactions with bacteria. The opportunity to work with the Shikuma Group and our model system, the tube worm Hydroides and its microbes, was an exciting opportunity. This humble worm is actually a powerful model for understanding symbioses. Bacteria are required for the larva of the worm to undergo metamorphosis which is a process where they transition to the adult body plan. My interests in marine invertebrates, developmental biology, and how animals interact with bacteria all led me to build my research questions around this area.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I have been very fortunate to work with some fantastic mentors during my training, and of course my family has been immeasurably supportive. I also have been learning alongside some really amazing peers, and the summation of my interactions with all of these people have helped keep my excited and motivated to continue moving forward towards a career in science.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope that the work I do will encourage other minority women in science to embrace their curiosity and make new discoveries that help us understand fundamental processes of life. I also hope my work can impact others by encouraging them to protect our oceans and all of the amazing biology that happens within them. Finally, I hope to impact others by making some meaningful scientific discoveries, leaving behind a legacy of collaboration and of creating opportunities for others to be part of science.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I would love to be starting up my own lab. I hope to establish an independent research program that works on answering questions at the interface of marine cell-, developmental-, and micro- biology.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The thing that I love the most about being a researcher is that my days are always different. I never get bored doing the same thing because some days I am reading, some days I am writing papers or working on a presentation for a conference, and still other days I get to be at the bench doing experiments or imaging on the microscope. It never gets dull because there is always something new to do and learn. Also, I have a soft spot in my heart for all the squishy, crunchy, gooey critters of the ocean. There’s so much interesting biology going on in these critters that is understudied.

What drew you to apply to this course?
When I started in research as an undergraduate, I immediately fell in love with developmental biology, but it wasn’t until much later that I started learning about the ways that microbes influence development. The course on Advanced Bacterial Genetics is the ideal way to learn modern tools and techniques for understanding the relationships between bacteria and the animals that they interact with. Without tools for manipulating microbes, we can’t fully grasp the contributions they make at the molecular and genetic level to the biology of their symbionts and hosts. The reputation of CSHL as being an immersive and inspiring place, as well as the fact that I know colleagues who spoke highly of the course, were all contributing factors in my desire to attend this course.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
I think one of the most influential lessons that I have learned in the course is that bacterial genetics offers a multitude of approaches for answering big questions in biology, and these tools can be applied in various permutations to all sorts of different systems. This experience has helped me to brainstorm new ideas for experiments in my own work. For example, I would love to take the tools I’ve learned about here (like generating gDNA libraries, transposon libraries, CRISPRi, and RIVET) and apply them in marine bacteria – which currently lack a lot of the accessible tools that are available to more widely studied model microbes. This would help us to better understand what genes in diverse marine microbes contribute to their ability to induce developmental changes in the tube worm model (and maybe even other invertebrates too).

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
My biggest piece of advice would be to come with an open mind. You will meet so many people with diverse scientific backgrounds and with diverse identities. You can learn so much from your peers and the instructors if you approach the experience with the goal of learning from everyone.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
The most memorable moment of the course for me so far has been the unbridled enthusiasm of one of our instructors over their model microbe – it’s not uncommon to hear her shout “Staphylococcus!” and I think it’s so awesome that people can build their careers and still maintain that level of excitement for their work!

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
My favorite thing about my time at CSHL so far has been the campus. It’s just beautiful and it has been a real treat to see this part of the state, especially since I have never been to New York before!

Kate received a scholarship from the Regeneron to cover a portion of her course tuition. On behalf of Kate, thank you to Regeneron for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Kate 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.

Images provided by Kate Nesbit

Visitor of the Week: Ayse Malci

Meet Ayse Malci of the Children’s National Hospital where she is a member of Dr. Michael S. Sidorov’s lab. The postdoctoral fellow is at Neuronal Circuits; her first-ever meeting at CSHL that also happens to be her first in-person meeting since the pandemic. Here’s what she has to say about it:

This was my first in-person meeting since the pandemic started and I realized how much I have actually missed this dynamic and vivid environment! It just feels more natural to interact and share compared to virtual meetings. Since I knew that everyone who participated in-person was immunized, I also felt safe to be in contact with other participants.

Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on how neuronal circuits are shaped by visual stimuli and how they are altered in neurodevelopmental disorders. I am interested in investigating neuronal activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) by using cutting-edge fluorescent imaging techniques and Angelman’s Syndrome (AS) model mice. Ultimately, I aim to discover the cellular features and signatures of neurons within the microcircuits that are responsible for the impairments in the ACC of AS model mice.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I always think of the human brain as a closed box and there is still a lot to explore within there. Among many other interesting fields, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) particularly take my attention because it sadly affects children who are our source of all joy. For a better understanding of NDD, I have decided to invest my postdoctoral research in neuronal circuits and in vivo neuronal activity. To do so, I will be primarily relying on my previous experience and personal interest in calcium imaging.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
The true inspiration who made me pursue a career in neuroscience is always my uncle who dramatically lived with ALS (a neurodegenerative disease) for five years. He made me realize how essentially basic and translational research is needed to provide treatment for neurological impairments.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years, I aim to reach the end of my postdoctoral journey where I hope to be ready for my independent research. I would like to develop a solid research strategy combined with enriched skill sets and practical experiences. Also, in five years, I hope to expand my network and engage with many more talented scientists to be able to contribute to the scientific community altogether.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love and enjoy the creative part of being a researcher. Planning a new project feels like playing a new game – everything is exciting and challenging at the same time. And setting up the rules of this new game pretty much depends on how creative you are.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
I have always known the outstanding reputation of CSHL and their meetings since I was an undergrad student. Back then it was too far away and not affordable in a country like Turkey. Years later, while starting my postdoctoral journey, I discovered that I may have an opportunity to visit CSHL and I was thrilled! At this point, my mentor Dr. Michael S. Sidorov kindly supported and encouraged me to participate together with my colleague Dr. Caleigh Guoynesv. And I decided to take this circuits meeting as a priceless chance to learn about the latest discoveries in the field and inspire me for my new project.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The key takeaway from the Meeting is that one has to be dedicated, patient, and open to sharing. Science is not for the first authorship, science is for society – us!

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
The feedback I would share with anyone who wants to join this meeting would be “get ready for an amazing experience.” This is not like any other meeting one participates in and leaves, this meeting is more about being part of the “circuits community” where you can expand your horizon and build new contacts for the future.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting was meeting with new people via Twitter! I was following posts tagged with ‘#cshlcircuits’ and have “liked” some tweets. Later by chance, I met with those folks during the poster session and it was funny to follow up with our experience at the Meeting. This made me think of the power of social media and how it even helps scientists.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
What I like the most about my time at CSHL are the inspiring talks, beautiful campus, and relaxing nature... I especially felt privileged to be present in the same place where many legendary senior scientists have been in the past. Seeing black-and-white pictures of names like Barbara McClintock, James D. Watson and Robert Malenka made me emotional and proud at the same time.

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

Image provided by Ayse Malci

Visitor of the Week: Gemma Camara

Meet Gemma Camara of the Bishop’s University in Quebec, Canada! The undergraduate student is completing her research studies under a second experiential learning course at Dr. Rona Graham’s lab at Sherbrooke University, that is co-supervised by Bishop’s University Psychology Department Chairperson Dr. Jonathan Carriere. She spent most of this week with us at the 2020 Neurodegenerative Diseases: Biology & Therapeutics virtual meeting where she presented her first-ever poster entitled “The relationship between cognitive scores and detection of specific odours in the elderly”.

 Tell us about your research.
Olfactory dysfunction is important as it is a common early sign of neurodegeneration. My research project looks at three important questions:

1. If seniors experience general loss or loss of specific scents,

2. The difference in scent identification abilities between males and females,

3. If there is a relationship between correct scent identification and cognitive test scores.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I started studying under Dr. Graham in her lab during the winter of 2020 with the co-supervision of Dr. Adrianna Mendrek at Bishop's University. Throughout this research experience, I’ve discovered a passion for olfactory function by working on Dr. Graham's research.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I always had a passion for health science. Bishop's University piqued my interest because it is an English University with smaller classes, which is not easy to find in Quebec. The field of Neuroscience spoke to me; I love the professors and opportunities that this program provides. It is the reason I am here today. Students get a tremendous amount of support to pursue whatever they desire.  

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
Many elderly do not self-report olfactory dysfunction because of its subtle change in daily life. If olfaction is related to cognitive decline and early-onset AD, we could prolong its function by introducing early interventions such as olfactory therapy.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself finishing my Ph.D. in five years, maybe even giving a TED Talk about my research. The subject will most likely be on the physiology of neural pathways and related to olfaction, but I am open to other issues. I am in my third and last year of undergrad for now, and there is still a lot of research to do in the field of olfactory dysfunction.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
The people and science! I love the fact that when you find another researcher who has a similar passion, two strangers can instantly connect and work together or give each other advice, suggestions, etc.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
My supervisor Dr. Graham had suggested this meeting. She is always looking to guide me through new opportunities that will allow me to grow and go beyond my comfort zone. I am very grateful to have such a good mentor.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
During the first night’s social event when Dr. Aaron Gitler asked me if I had applied to Stanford. I never thought to push myself to be a part of any of the “Ivy Leagues” before but his question made me think about the limitations I've set for myself. The sky's the limit, and there are tons of great Universities looking to take on smart ambitious students who are hardworking and who put themselves out there. I plan to continue working hard as a researcher so that soon I’ll be giving a presentation on one of our “groundbreaking” findings.

Also, during the Meet the Speakers event, I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Dr. Fenghua Hu and Dr. Goncalo Castelo-Branco, who both gave fantastic presentations on the first day.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
Participate in as many of the conference activities as possible! Fully immersing myself has been a great experience. The speaker and poster presentations enable an opportunity for feedback on published and unpublished data. You will have so many great interactions with the participants!

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The conference is still not over! But so far, the most memorable moment for me was the icebreaker on the first day. I love conversing with researchers from different universities. Everyone is extremely approachable and eager to give and receive feedback on their work. Thus far, every presentation has been impressive; I would highlight the presentation by Dr. Chloe Lee-Lopez on Male sex chromosomes attenuate cytokine response to inflammation in aging brain.

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

Image provided by Gemma Camara

Visitor of the Week: Tingting Duan

Meet Tingting Duan of the University of Iowa. She is a postdoctoral fellow in Pamela Geyer’s lab within the Department of Biochemistry. This week, Tingting was with us at the Germ Cells virtual meeting where she presented a poster titled “Integrity of a mitotic nuclear lamina is required in germline stem cells”.

Tell us about your research.
Progeria, or the pre-maturing ageing syndrome is caused by mutations in various nuclear lamina components and is linked to defects in stem cell homeostasis. My research focusses on understanding how nuclear lamina components promote stem cell survival and regulates stem cell mitosis in Drosophila.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I am interested in understanding mechanisms required to regulate stem cells maintenance and differentiation.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I trained to be a physician; however, during medical school, I realized that while great strikes have been made on many diseases, such as cancer and progeria, there is still a lack of deep understanding. I decided to become a scientist to understand the fundamental disease mechanism and contribute to the development of better therapy.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Producing better publications and getting ready to start my own lab.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Satisfying my curiosity: From doing experiments and reading others’ work, learning the explanation behind every observation.    

What drew you to attend this meeting?
It is a great opportunity to learn and meet people in the community.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The most interesting thing was the mutation in the stonewall gene seems to phenocopy the germline phenotypes of the mutant (ote) I am interested in. I think I may look more into it after the meeting and maybe look at stonewall expression in my mutant.    

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
Consider taking a couple of days off for the meeting and find a quiet place to listen to the talks because it can be difficult to become fully involved with the meeting while you are in the lab. I missed a number of the talks I wanted to hear because I decided to keep up with work and normal lab activity.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
I joined the Meet the Speakers session with Geraldine Seydoux and Rui Martinho where I had the chance to ask questions and gained insight. 

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

Images provided by Tingting Duan