Visitor of the Week: Allison Jevitt

Meet Allison Jevitt of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. The postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Susannah Rankin’s lab participated in the 2021 virtual meeting  of Eukaryotic DNA Replication & Genome Maintenance and is back, but this time it is for a course and in person, Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease! This was her first in-person event since the pandemic and had this to share, “It was an experience that I will treasure forever. I am so happy to have met so many incredible people from around the world to share in something that is so human; to learn and grow together.” We couldn’t agree more.

Tell us about your research.
My research is focused on understanding how chromatin is packaged and organized during the cell cycle. I investigate this using the clawed frog, Xenopus, a valuable vertebrate model and human cell culture.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
During my doctoral training, I became interested in understanding the factors influencing how and where tumors form. Since disrupting genome organization contributes to tumorigenesis, I was drawn to the Rankin lab to learn how this process is regulated using vertebrate models.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Sabrina Bethurum, ignited my love for Biology and modeled how to ask and answer scientific questions. Since then, I have been and continue to be supported by so many great mentors, and I will remain eternally grateful for their influence.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
I hope that my work will help us to better understand and treat cancer.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love that being a researcher means I never get to lose that childlike sense of wonder about the world around me.

What drew you to apply to this course?
Since I have switched model systems from Drosophila to Xenopus, I wanted to learn more about what Xenopus could offer and to learn of other techniques we do not currently use in the lab.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
My key takeaway from this course is the knowledge of just how versatile the Xenopus embryo is as a vertebrate model for studying not only cell and developmental biology but also human disease. I have learned how to target single cells of the developing embryo using microinjection to perform CRISPR/Cas9 based gene depletion, mRNA overexpression, and MUCH more that I plan to apply to my ongoing research.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
I cannot recommend this course enough. Not only have I learned a lot, both in lectures and at the bench, but being surrounded by encouraging instructors, TAs, and fellow students who want to see you succeed is such an incredible experience. Be prepared to work hard, explore new techniques and tools, get outside your comfort zone, and leave with a hard drive full of beautiful microscopy images, new ideas, and a network of incredible friends and peers.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
On the final day of the course, one of the students was determined to finish their in situ hybridization experiment even though time was running out and the TAs had already begun to clean up the lab. When she finished, she rushed to tell the rest of the group that her experiment had worked and everyone began to cheer. What a moment of victory!

Is this your first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic?
Yes. This was my first in-person event since the pandemic. It was an experience that I will treasure forever. I am so happy to have met so many incredible people from around the world to share in something that is so human; to learn and grow together.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
CSHL has an energy that is completely contagious. I enjoyed walking to the beach, gazing at the harbor through the rain, and meeting the other course and meeting attendees. It was a great place to get away and feel inspired about science again after the isolation and uncertainty of a global pandemic.

Thank you to Allison 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 Allison Jevitt

Visitor of the Week: Dylan Guerin

Meet Dylan Guerin of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The graduate student in Dr. Ai-Sun Tseng’s lab is currently training at his first course at CSHL: Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery and Disease where he has been perfecting his injection and imaging skills, and learning how others use Xenopus embryo in their work.

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
Our lab is interested in studying the mechanisms underlying regeneration. Specifically, I am interested in genes controlling embryonic eye regeneration in Xenopus laevis.

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research?
I was interested in regeneration before applying to graduate school. It is amazing to me how some animals can completely regrow lost appendages and it would be even more amazing if we could do that as well.

How did your scientific journey begin?
I am just naturally curious about the world and that curiosity was luckily encouraged by my parents. Science was the natural path to follow to feed that curiosity.

Was there something specific about the Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease that drew you to apply?
My advisor brought the Xenopus course to my attention as a way to interact with other Xenopus labs as we are the only lab in Nevada working with Xenopus. Personally, I wanted to learn how to perform micro injections and gain more experience with imaging.

What and/or how will you apply what you’ve learned from the course to your work?
The injection and imaging skills I learned here will be useful in my research as they are techniques we use in our lab but I have not had the chance to perfect until now.  From talking to others in the course, I have gained a new perspective about how they utilize the Xenopus embryo from a developmental point of view--where I look at it from a regenerative lens. They are similar but with some interesting differences.

What is your key takeaway from the course?
My key takeaway is that there are many different approaches to using Xenopus to answer scientific questions.

If someone curious in attending this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
The course is a good way to see what others in your field are doing. Also, you get as much out of the course as you put in.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
It was great to meet people from all over the world and get to know them. The personal interactions I have had here have been very enjoyable.

Dylan received a scholarship from the Howard Hughes Medical institute (HHMI) to cover a portion of his course tuition. On behalf of Dylan, 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 Dylan 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.

Visitor of the Week: Jennifer Landino

Meet Jennifer Landino of the University of Michigan. Jennifer is a postdoctoral fellow and member of Ann Miller's lab in the Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Biology. She was on campus to train at the Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus, her very first CSHL course. 

What are your research interests? What are you working on?
I am interested in investigating how cells divide in epithelial tissues, where they are attached to neighboring cells by cell-cell junctions. I specifically want to understand how the neighboring cells contribute to successful cell division while maintaining tissue integrity. 

How did you decide to make this the focus of your research? 
During my PhD research I studied how the cytoskeleton drives cell division in the context of a single cell. For my postdoc, I wanted to expand my understanding of cell division and investigate how groups of cells work together in a tissue to ensure successful division.  

How did your scientific journey begin? 
I became interested in cell division as an undergraduate working on cytokinesis in yeast. This is a fundamental biological process that underlies disease progression, in particular cancer, and has motivated me to continue studying cell division throughout my graduate and postdoctoral training. 

Was there something specific about the Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus course that drew you to apply?
My lab uses Xenopus laevis as a model system to study epithelial cell division in a developing animal. I have no experience working with live animals, or developing embryos. This course was a chance to learn about the diversity of experimental techniques that are available in this model system. 

What and/or how will you apply what you've learned from the course to your work? 
I feel more confident in my experimental skills. I also found that my conversations with the instructors and guest lecturers helped me generate ideas that I can use for my own research when I return to the lab. 

What is your key takeaway from the course?
This course was an excellent opportunity to learn and practice a broad range of techniques. I enjoyed learning about the current research in the field - ranging from developmental biology to cell biology. 

If someone curious in attending this course asked you for feedback or advice on it, what would you tell him/her?
This course is a great opportunity to expand your understanding of the Xenopus field. My primary focus is on cell biology, and I have very little experience with developmental biology. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed learning about classic embryology experiments that were done in Xenopus. 

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
 I most enjoyed feeling like part of the Xenopus community. I now feel like I have people I can turn to, outside of my own lab, who will be able to help me grow professionally and scientifically. 

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

Thank you to Jennifer 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.