Visitor of the Week: Mary Jo Talley

Meet Mary Jo Talley of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and University of Cincinnati. Mary Jo is a fourth-year graduate student in Ron Waclaw’s lab and a part of the 2019 Chromatin, Epigenetics and Gene Expression course cohort.

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
I am interested in understanding how stem cells determine which adult cell they should mature into. I study different kinds of brain cells to learn the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation.

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research?
I majored in Neuroscience during my undergraduate career and found developmental biology to be fascinating. For my PhD, I wanted to combine my interests in developmental biology and neurobiology, so I joined a lab were I could study both.

How did your scientific journey begin?
When I was in middle school, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She started medication for Alzheimer’s, but the medication made her symptoms worse. The doctors realized that she actually had a different form of dementia. It was at this time that I realized so little is known about a lot of neurological diseases. I wanted to get into science to better understand these diseases, how to better diagnose these diseases, and to develop better therapies.

Was there something specific about the Chromatin, Epigenetics & Gene Expression course that drew you to apply?
I was excited to come to this course to learn how to perform techniques such as ChIP-seq and CRISPR that could help me study differential regulation of genes, as well as how to analyze the data from these kinds of experiments.

What and/or how will you apply what you’ve learned from the course to your work?
All the techniques taught in this course are techniques not currently used in my lab. By introducing these new techniques to our ongoing projects, we will be better able to study the genetic controls of cell fate decisions in the brain.

What is your key takeaway from the course?
This course has done a lot to improve my confidence as a scientist. This course has fostered a very supportive environment, where I was able to ask many questions and try so many new techniques.

If someone curious in attending this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
Courses at CSHL are an excellent way to learn new techniques, interact with other scientists interested in similar topics as yourself, and network with some of the top scientists in the field.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
CSHL has a beautiful campus that all the students stay on together. We’ve become very good friends and have had a lot of fun – including a dance party one night in the lab!

Mary Jo received financial support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to cover a portion of her course tuition. On behalf of Mary Jo, thank you to NCI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to participate in training courses where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

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

Visitor of the Week: Salma Ferdous

Meet Salma Ferdous of Emory University. A PhD candidate and member of John Nickerson’s lab in the Emory Eye Center, Salma made her CSHL debut via the Chromatin, Epigenetics and Gene Expression course. 

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
My research is focused on the visual system, specifically the retina which is a neurosensory tissue in the back of the eye responsible for vision. I study an epigenetic protein called Lsd1 and its role in proper retinal development because it could be a therapeutic target for a pediatric ocular cancer called retinoblastoma.  

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research? 
During college, I did a summer internship at The Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas, TX where I tested patients with blinding disorders for visual problems. That internship made me realize how few treatment options are available for different forms of blindness and visual disorders. Emory University has an outstanding ophthalmology department and Dr. Nickerson was looking for a graduate student to explore a new project in the lab so it was a perfect fit!  

How did your scientific journey begin? 
My 8th grade science teacher Ms. Roden was a huge inspiration. She always encouraged me to ask questions outside of the scope of the assignment or project and really fostered my scientific curiosity. Afterwards, that curiosity was enhanced by my high school IB science teacher, Ms. Katavic, who taught me for 2 years and ultimately encouraged me to pursue a neurobiology degree in college.  

Was there something specific about the Chromatin, Epigenetics and Gene Expression course that drew you to apply?
The course covers specific techniques that I wanted to learn and apply towards my own project: Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) combined with DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) and Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays (EMSAs). These are techniques not currently used in my laboratory but would be very valuable for my project. Also, the invited lecturers for this course are game-changers in the fields of genetics and epigenetics so learning about their research firsthand was a fantastic opportunity.  

What and/or how will you apply what you've learned from the course to your work? 
The two techniques I mentioned above will allow me to determine exactly where the Lsd1 protein binds to DNA and how tightly this binding occurs. Ultimately, I will be able to determine which genes are being controlled by Lsd1 and in the case for retinoblastoma, how the inhibition of Lsd1 may decrease gene expression to prevent the spread of the tumor.  

What is your key takeaway from the course?
The key takeaway from this course for me were the new techniques that I learned. In theory, you can learn a technique by reading a protocol or the method section of a paper, but having someone show you step-by-step how to complete the experiment makes the entire learning process so much easier. The instructors and TAs of the course were very friendly and helpful, and always willing to answer questions. Now I feel confident in my ability to perform experiments solo when I’m back at Emory.  

If someone curious in attending this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
Whether they are looking to learn specific techniques for their project or general information about genetics and epigenetics, I would highly encourage anyone to attend this course. It is very intense with long hours, but you have the very rare opportunity to engage with people who are trailblazers in their respective fields. The quality of seminar speakers and instructors is unparalleled, and having the chance to listen to their presentations--and afterwards have dinner with them--is truly unique to this course. 

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
CSHL is located on a beautiful campus and, during the course, the instructors scheduled a boat trip where we spent an entire Saturday afternoon soaking up the sun and swimming! We also participate in a friendly “Plate Race” against the Yeast Genetics & Genomics course where we ran a relay race carrying 40 yeast agar plates. Though we lost the race, it was so much fun cheering for each other and chanting “GeneX, GeneX!”

Salma received a scholarship from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to cover a portion of her course tuition. On behalf of Salma, thank you to NCI for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network. 

Thank you to Salma 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.

Photo: Salma Ferdous

Visitor of the Week: Ulrike Boehm

Photo by Constance Brukin

Meet Ulrike Boehm of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Ulrike is a physics-trained postdoctoral research fellow and a member of Daniel Larson's team in the Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression. She came onto campus to attend the 2017 Chromatin, Epigenetics & Gene Expression course, which concluded this earlier this week, for an intensive, three-week immersion into the world of gene expression. 

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
My research interests are primarily focused on developing novel imaging tools for application in biological and clinical research. At the NIH, I develop and combine new technologies (super-resolution microscopy, single molecule imaging, genetic engineering, next generation sequencing approaches, mathematical and biophysical modeling) to understand gene expression in eukaryotic cells which requires the understanding of the organization of the genome in time and space.

Was there something specific about the Chromatin, Epigenetics & Gene Expression course that drew you to apply?
I am a trained physicist and specialized in advanced imaging techniques during my PhD studies in Germany. As a result, at the beginning of my postdoctoral studies, I was a newcomer to the field of chromatin, epigenetics, and gene expression. I applied for the GeneX course to get to know the community, and to gain an overview of the fundamental and more recent lab techniques. But this course was much more than just a pure-method course and it exceeded my expectations. I met amazing scientists, spoke about my work and future career plans, and I am now part of a vibrant network.

What is your key takeaway from the course?
During the hands-on sessions, I was exposed to a number of experimental methods (Hi-C, 3C, ChIP-seq, qRT-PCR, etc.) and data analysis strategies that I am able to immediately implement in my current research. Furthermore, I met some amazing women in science. The course instructors Karen Adelman and Geeta Narlikar, and speakers Karolin Luger and Maria Elena Torres Padilla – who are each a successful scientist and an incredible mentor – offered advice on career development, how to lead a successful research group, and how to achieve work-life balance. Also, and most importantly, speaking with them motivated me to keep on striving for a career in science.

How many CSHL courses have you attended? How about CSHL meetings?
This is my first CSHL course and, so far, I have not yet attended a CSHL meeting. However, I plan to attend and present my work at the the 2018 Epigenetics and Chromatin meeting. In addition, there are talks about my joining the 2018 Imaging Structure and Function in the Nervous System course as a teaching assistant; and I intend to build a superresolution microscope for and with that course's trainees.

If someone curious in attending your course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
It is an amazing but also demanding course with topnotch faculty members who carry out a very comprehensive curriculum. In my opinion, it is the perfect course for anyone in need of a quick and thorough crash course in the field of chromatin, epigenetics, and gene expression. 

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I have a long list and to name a few: winning the 2017 Plate Race; getting together and watching the beautiful sunsets at the CSHL Beach; having intense discussions with the instructors, speakers, and my fellow trainees in Blackford Bar; and the lobster banquet on the final day of the course. 

Ulrike was awarded a Helmlsey Fellowship to cover a portion of her course tuition. On behalf of Ulrike, thank you to The Helmsley Charitable Trust for supporting and enabling our young scientists to attend a CSHL course where they expand their skills, knowledge, and network.

Thank you to Ulrike 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.