Visitor of the Week: Annie Yao

Meet Annie Yao of the University of Connecticut Health Center. Annie is a MD/PhD Candidate in Dr. Riqiang Yan’s lab and recently trained at last month’s Ion Channels in Synaptic and Neural Circuit Physiology course.

Tell us about your research.
My lab studies the pathophysiological underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia worldwide. I’m interested in how beta-secretase, an essential enzyme in the development of AD, regulates neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
Since high school, I’ve been interested in combining translational research with helping patients. While working at the Broad Institute/MIT after college in Dr. Guoping Feng’s lab, which studies synapse and brain circuitry dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia, I was inspired to pursue a dual MD/PhD degree with the goal of studying and treating brain disorders. I chose my project after rotating in a couple of labs and being inspired by electrophysiology as a way to study neuronal (dys)function.  

Annie patch-clamp recording of a dendrite in the hippocampal CA1 region.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My parents are first-generation immigrants that moved to the U.S. to pursue their own graduate education in science. The strength and resilience they possessed to make that sort of leap… they have always been an inspiration to me.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope that my current and future research and clinical training will be able to directly shape patient wellbeing and improve therapeutics.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
One of my favorite parts of being a researcher is that there’s always something more to learn, a new skill to develop, a new perspective to explore.

What drew you to apply to this course?
I have heard amazing things about the Ion Channels course for many years, from both my mentors in previous labs and peers who have taken the course. I knew that this experience would be formative in my growth as a training electrophysiologist. 

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
My key takeaway is to be persistent in your troubleshooting of the rig, and as one of our instructors emphasized at the end of our time here, to be rigorous in our practice of electrophysiology and critical about our data.

Patch clamp of a hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron while measuring evoked activity.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
You get out of an experience what you put in! When applying for the course, be sure to emphasize how your specific project would benefit from this immersive experience. When at the course, make use of the expertise that surrounds you every day – you have access to incredible teachers/scientists/electrophysiologists who can help you answer any question you have about your project design or execution. And finally, make time for yourself - 3 weeks of nonstop ephys is gratifying but intense!

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
After the last day of hands-on lab work, our cohort went on a sunset sailboat trip together. It felt amazing to be on the water, with beautiful weather and in the company of new friends.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
Being surrounded by beautiful nature the second you step outside your cabin or the lab. Cold Spring Harbor is truly such a scenic place to learn in.

Thank you to Annie 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 Annie Yao

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: Amy Ikui

Meet Amy Ikui of Brooklyn College. Amy is a professor in the Biology department and returns to CSHL for her second Symposium, the 65th CSHL Symposium focusing on Genome Stability & Integrity. This meeting also happens to be her 21st meeting at the Lab.   

Tell us about your research.
We study DNA replication and origin licensing mechanisms in yeast and green algae. Our research is focused on understating how cyclin dependent kinase and phosphatase control DNA replication.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
DNA replication is fundamental to all living cells that duplicate the genome. My passion is to understand how DNA is accurately replicated to maintain genome integrity in eukaryotes. My post-doctoral training in Dr. Fred Cross’ lab at The Rockefeller University led me to establish my own research lab where we continue to investigate the molecular mechanisms of origin licensing using eukaryotic unicellular model organisms.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
All of my mentors starting from my elementary to graduate school inspired me to start my scientific journey. The most important turning point is when I joined the lab for the first time as an undergraduate student. I was fascinated by molecular biology and cell biology techniques, western blot and DNA sequencing, which can be used to understand how cells function. I decided to pursue my career in the educational setting to inspire future scientists.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Continue doing my research as a PI if funding is secured, and teach and supervise students and post-docs in my lab.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
To be the first person to discover something important. To meet and discuss our research with my colleague. To setup collaborations.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
I have been attending CSHL meetings since I was a Ph.D. student, almost 20 years ago. I am very excited to attend in-person meeting after 2 years.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in a future CSHL Symposium?
Don’t be shy to ask questions to attendees even if they are established scientists.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
Blackford Bar is usually involved.

Thank you to Amy 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 Amy Ikui

Visitor of the Week: María Jose Gomez Hughes

Meet María Jose Gomez Hughes who is affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin and Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). At the University of Texas, María Jose is a scientist associate in the Genomic Sequencing and Analysis Facility (GSAF) while she is a collaborator in Andrew J. Crawford’s lab in the Universidad de los Andes. The Colombian national is at CSHL this week attending her first meeting: The Biology of Genomes.  

Tell us about your research.
At the GSAF, I work with researchers through preparing NGS libraries and doing quality control of said libraries. And at the Crawford Lab, I use genomics to understand the conservation status of capybaras and frogs as well as study frog evolution and adaptation to environmental variables.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I have always found evolution fascinating and have been drawn to understand it, including the role conservation status plays in it. At the same time, I greatly enjoy being in the lab and helping other people.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I am inspired by all the great women and non-binary people in science, both by their work and by their resilience. I am also inspired by the world around me, by its beauty and intricacy. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself in the same place I am right now. I greatly enjoy my work and wouldn’t want to change it.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I enjoy solving problems and being able to feed my curiosity.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
I thought the Biology of Genomes to be a great place to learn about all the genomics research taking place all around the world.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
There is way more innovative research going on in genomics, both in wet and dry lab, than I previously thought. I plan to apply some of the things I learned in my research and see what new things I can find.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
I would advise them to take it slow. There are a lot of things going on and it can become a bit hectic so try to enjoy not only the meeting and the great science, but also all the natural surroundings.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
There are a lot of memorable things that happened during the meeting and it’s hard to choose one, but being able to engage with other researchers and discuss with them in person was definitely a great change.

Is this your first in-person meeting since the pandemic? If so, any thoughts you’d like to share?
Yes, it’s great to be able to talk to people about their research in person, in particular at the poster sessions. Having presented online before, I know how hard it can be so it’s great to have in-person meetings again; though online meetings are still great for accessibility and to engage with a broader audience.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
How beautiful it is around here. There’s so much nature going on in and around campus. I was very pleasantly surprised by it.

Thank you to Maria Jose 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 Maria Jose Gomez Hughes

Visitor of the Week: Merissa Xiao

Meet Merissa Xiao of the Van Andel Institute. The postdoc in Dr. Huilin Li’s lab is at Protein Homeostasis in Health & Disease. This is her first meeting at CSHL and she found it “more efficient and convenient to meet and talk with people than virtual meetings. [She] felt the passion, perseverance and critical spirit of science from those attending the meeting.”

Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on understanding the mechanism of protein degradation, disaggregation, refolding and signal transduction in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). During host infection, Mtb encounters various stresses that result in reversible or irreversible damage to proteins, leading to protein misfolding or aggregation. Molecular machinery, such as proteasome-mediated degradation, heat shock protein (Hsp100, Hsp70 and Hsp40) mediated protein unfolding or refolding, and two component system (TCS) mediated regulation of gene expression. Given the importance of the molecular machineries in Mtb virulence in the host, these proteins may present as potential drug targets for TB chemotherapy.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I have been working on the Mtb system--and have been interested in this research field--since I was a graduate student. Starting from then, I was very interested in this research field. Dr. Huilin Li and Dr. Heran Darwin’s lab have been working on the mechanistic studies of potential drug targets in Mtb for many years, which they have reported many exciting findings. Though, there are still many things that need to be addressed, considering the resistance and multi-resistance occurring in Mtb. Continuing from my previous research, I want to dig into this system on the basis of current findings.  

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My long scientific journey was inspired by those who mentored me during my PhD and Postdoc studies, as well as by the research itself. The efforts of my mentors to elucidate the mechanisms of molecular machineries in Mtb and their exciting discoveries inspire me to figure out more from this system and ultimately contribute to the drug design and development of Mtb.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I would like my work to be significant, unique and useful. I hope the systems work well and our findings lead to more drugs being developed for the benefit people suffering from tuberculosis.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I would like to move towards becoming an independent researcher on the basis of being fully skilled and qualified. I hope five years worth of research will allow me to have quality publications and to have a social network with top scientists in my research field.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Doing research shares some common aspects with living:  raising questions, making plans and solving the problem. The process of problem solving could be very tough but through reading and investigating papers, I learn, get inspired, and experience. Other people’s findings help us and our research, in turn, will help other people. That’s the way scientific research moves forward.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
Protein Homeostasis in Health and Disease meeting held by CSHL is famous in this research field. There are intensive talks by great scientists from all over the world. It is a great opportunity to learn new techniques from the talks and posters, and to meet with people.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
My key takeaway is regarding scientific thinking, writing and presenting. I was motivated by the passion of the other participants, and I would definitely like to keep scientific thinking active and critical through my research career. I also received useful suggestions for my project and, such insight will definitely help me and my research going forward.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this meeting?
I highly recommend people attend this meeting. The number of fantastic talks is astounding that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up.  The active and passionate atmosphere greatly facilitated scientific communications. Prepare to return to your lab inspired and teeming with new techniques and knowledge.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The most memorable thing is meeting and talking to the speakers, whose papers and books I have frequently read and online seminars I have attended. They provided with very valuable suggestions that motivated me a lot.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I like the academic and historic atmosphere in CSHL. The landscape is also amazingly beautiful. All the buildings have special names (after famous scientists) and there are pictures of famous scientists on the walls of the canteen. Walking around CSHL inspired me and my work a lot.

Thank you to Merissa 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 Merissa Xiao