Visitor of the Week: Madison Altieri

Meet Madison Altieri of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). The Masters Student is a member of Dr. Julia Halo’s lab who presented a poster at our 2022 biohistory meeting addressing Fifty Years of Reverse Transcriptase. This meeting not only represents the first one Madison joins at CSHL but it is also her first in-person scientific conference. We are honored to be able to welcome another bright researcher to the community.

Tell us about your research.
My work focuses on The Role of SINE Sequence in Retrotransposition with the genome. SINEs are derived from noncoding RNA and parasitize a reverse transcriptase from its partner, LINE.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
My start in research began as a box to check off to get into medical school, but slowly turned into a strong admiration for science and asking challenging questions. It wasn’t long before I realized I really loved my research. The dichotomy between the selfish element and the genome is the reason why I fell in love with retroelements and selfish elements. I like studying elements that are not innately good or bad. I’m excited to see what we know about retroelements in the future.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
The women in science who came before me are a big inspiration for my scientific endeavor. Women in STEM have come a long way in science. I thank them for all that they have done in order for me to be here.  

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
What drew me into Julia’s lab was how she spoke about her research and science. Anyone listening knew that she was passionate about her work. She was like the Bill Nye of retroelements. It occurred to me that not only did Bill and Julia express enthusiasm, but she was communicating science in fun ways in which laymen could follow. Something scientists are traditionally challenged in. My objective is to express to my students and those around me that science is incredibly fun, amazing, and for everyone. The need for scientists to effectively communicate scientific ideas is imposing and I hope through work and promotion that future scientists such as my colleagues and students will be embracing of the responsibility.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Most people would hate the thought of not knowing an answer, but it is in not knowing that scientific progress occurs. Scientific discovery is like a clean slate where creativity flows. Through further research the knowledge is assembled, but the puzzle is never solved and the limits on learning is nonexistent.

What drew you to attend this meeting?
I am still fresh in the realm of research and this meeting provides me an opportunity to learn the history of the reverse transcriptase from those who did the historical work to discover and characterize the enzyme in viruses and other retroelements.  

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
The road to discovering reverse transcriptase was long and the research associated with this enzyme is still ongoing--and the work will never end.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in a future CSHL biohistory meeting?
I would encourage others to participate in future CSHL meetings to meet other researchers interested in the same topics as you, as they really get you thinking about your own research. It is a great opportunity to meet the people in your field of research.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
The most memorable thing that impacted me was the research on HIV drugs and HIV resistance. I was taken back at how innovative these researchers were at inhibiting an enzyme using nucleoside and nonnucleoside RT inhibitors.

You presented a poster entitled “The Role of SINE Structure in Retrotransposition” – how was the experience?
My poster session went very well. I received a lot of questions of topics I haven’t pondered before that challenged me to think further into my research. It was also very refreshing to hear other research avenues on reverse transcriptase as well while meeting and interacting with wonderful people.

Is this your first in-person meeting since the pandemic? 
This meeting is the first meeting I’ve ever been to in person. The sole previous meeting I’ve been to and one oral presentation at BGSU have been over Zoom in the comfort of my own home. After all this time in the pandemic, you’d think I’d be repulsed by viruses, but in turn the opposite has occurred where I’m thrilled to be learning more about reverse transcriptase and the viruses and elements that encode it.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
When I first walked around CSHL, I was quite surprised. When I thought of CSHL, I thought of a tall skyscraper and instead I found myself among cabins and a room overlooking the harbor. It provided a more intimate environment that made you feel at ease. Even if that intimate environment allowed me to embarrassingly call a toaster a “toast machine” in front of David Baltimore.

Thank you to Madison 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 Madison Altieri

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: Judith Cristobal

Meet Judith Cristobal of the State University of New York at Buffalo! The Filipino citizen is postdoctoral associate in John Richard’s lab and is with us at 2022 course of Expression, Purification & Analysis of Proteins and Protein Complexes. This is second course Judith has taken through our program (the first one was X-Ray Methods in Structural Biology in 2017) and the first she’s taken since the pandemic. She shares that “[although] the advancements in technology greatly helped in making distance learning more accessible during the pandemic, in-person training is still invaluable in providing more hands-on experience on carrying out experiments and more collaborative work with instructors and peers in my field.”

Tell us about your research.
My research focuses on determining the role of a global, substrate-driven enzyme conformational change, in enabling the large rate acceleration of enzymes (GPDH and OMPDC) in catalyzing their respective reactions. My research aims to examine the protein–substrate interactions in enzymes by studying the effect of mutations on the critical amino acid residues that interact with the substrate. We also aim to provide insights into the mechanism for small molecule activation of enzyme activity that is analogous to allosteric activation, while enabling practical uses of chemical rescue in the activation of enzymes for catalysis.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I have always been interested and fascinated by how enzymes carry out their respective biochemical reactions and how enzyme mutations or misregulations lead to disorders. Deeper understanding of the enzyme’s structure, properties, and mechanism is vital for drug discovery and development to treat diseases.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
My high school teacher inspired me to pursue a chemistry degree in college. Since then, I have the eagerness and motivation to be a part of the scientific community that works on projects with real-world implications for human health.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself being a part of a research and development (R&D) team of an industrial/pharmaceutical company that aims to search and develop small drug-like molecules for disease treatment.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
What I love about being a researcher is the chance for the endless pursuit of scientific knowledge. There are always new scientific areas to discover, new fundamental questions to answer, and new open doors to explore.

What drew you to apply to this course?
I have done experiments using traditional methods (IEC; SEC) for purification of GPDH using bacterial system (E. coli). I believe that this program will provide more insights on key approaches such as: a) protein expression in insect cells and mammalian cells; b) protein purification via various affinity methods; and c) protein characterization and analysis such as binding assays and post-translational modifications.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
I learned a lot about protein purification techniques especially on proteins with Tags which I will be applying to purify His-Tag TIM and His-Tag AdK in our lab. The course also invited speakers who discussed cryo-EM and mass spectrometry which are powerful tools that provide valuable structural information for analysis of proteins and protein complexes.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
I highly recommend this course. There’s a vast array of proteins that needs to be studied and characterized and so taking this course provides course participants with a better understanding of purification protocols and strategies best suited to express and purify their protein of interest.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
The most memorable experience I had in the course is the “chalk-talk“ sessions. Each participant had a chance to discuss his/her research project and ask particular research problem(s) on which they need input. During each session, the instructors and the participants have collaborative conversations to provide the researcher new perspective and approaches on how to deal with his/her respective research challenges.

Is this your first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic? If so, any thoughts you’d like to share?
This is my first in-person course/workshop since the pandemic. Although the advancements in technology greatly helped in making distance learning more accessible during the pandemic, in-person training is still invaluable in providing more hands-on experience on carrying out experiments and more collaborative work with instructors and peers in my field.

What do you like most about your time at CSHL?
I like the quality time spent with the instructors, assistants, and fellow participants during the course breaks. I also enjoyed taking walks at the campus trails and beach front as well as seeing the rich historic architectures all around the campus.

Thank you to Judith 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 Judith Cristobal

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: Phoolwanti Rani

Meet Phoolwanti Rani of the San Diego Biomedical Research Institute. Rani is a postdoctoral fellow and member of Prof. David Gilbert’s lab. She spent last week with us at the Eukaryotic and DNA Replication & Genome Maintenance meeting – her first meeting at CSHL —- and “[she] enjoyed connecting with brilliant scientist from all over the world. The poster sessions and speaking with colleagues on Slack were really amazing.”

Tell us about your research.
I am working on developing the technique to generate better map of the factors important for replication and maintaining proper replication timing. MCM is one the challenging origin licensing factor during replication. I am trying to map MCM in a single cell (mammalian) with better resolution.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
During my Ph.D., I worked on Topoisomerases and got introduced to transcription-replication conflicts. I got attracted to replication and finally landed in the laboratory which works on replication timing.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, aerospace scientist who served as the 11th president of India. I read his autobiography in school and got inspired to become scientist. I was also interested in biology, and so chose to pursue my career in the same field.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
Research is limitless. Finding an answer to one question always leads to another puzzle to solve.

What is your key takeaway from the Meeting; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
I was very much interested by the discussion session, and learnt the importance of continuing the discussion in science. Amazing ideas and collaborations come up during discussions.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering participating in this meeting?
It is an amazing platform to share knowledge, build collaborations and look for career opportunities.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Meeting?
My PI mentioned in the meeting that I am going to be working on a very important unresolved problem.

Thank you to Phoolwanti 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 Phoolwanti Rani