Application Information
2012-2013 Fellows
2011-2012 Fellows
2009-2010 Fellows
2010-2011 EIDRoP Fellows
Olajide E. Alawode
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry at Long Island University
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Organic Chemistry
Anticipated Graduation Date: December, 2011
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Research: Tetrazolethione compounds have found significant applications in industry, agriculture and medicine. The central focus of my research is to investigate the intricate reaction mechanism of the photodecomposition of tetrazolethione compounds in hopes of exploiting their rich photochemistry (interaction with light) in designing novel photoactivated anti-cancer prodrugs. The photoinduced (light induced) active drugs can generate biradicals (two unpaired electron center) that would abstract hydrogen atoms from the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA subsequently causing DNA cleavage and ultimately cell death.
Other Interests: I enjoy traveling, playing soccer and basketball, learning self-defense and sign language, and I particularly enjoy any subject relating to photography.
Erica L. Cain
Education: B.A. in Microbiology with a French minor at Kansas State University
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Biology
Anticipated Graduation Date: May, 2011
Hometown: Military
Research: Dual Specificity Phosphatases (DUSPs) are the predominant negative regulators of signaling cascades that can result in diverse changes in cell behavior such as promoting cell growth, survival, and migration. DUSPs are an increasingly attractive target for drug therapies because dis-regulation of signaling pathways are implicated in a variety of diseases including cancer. I am investigating the function of the poorly understood DUSP12 in human cells.Since DUSP12 is conserved from yeast to humans, insights into the function of DUSP12 can be gained from studying DUSP12 in yeast. Interestingly, all DUSP12 proteins, ranging from yeast to humans, contain a C-terminal domain of unknown function, which is required for cell growth in yeast, indicating that DUSP12 is an evolutionarily conserved protein whose function may not depend on its phosphatase activity, but on the activity of the poorly characterized C-terminal domain.
Jessica Changstrom
Education: B.S. in Chemistry, minor in Biology from Midland Lutheran College; M.S. in Physics from Creighton University
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Physics
Hometown: Lincoln, NE
Research: We make aerosol gels using an explosive combustion process. These materials have a high surface area and a low density.
Lindsey C. Fallis
Education: B.S. in Biology at Texas Christian University; M.S. in Biology at Texas Christian University
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Biology
Anticipated Graduation Date: December, 2011
Hometown: Harper, KS
Research: The main goal of my research is to understand the genetic mechanisms that drive the adaptation and evolution of phenotypes in nature. My focus is on the adaptation of thermotolerance phenotypes (tolerance to both heat and cold) in the genetic model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. Thus far I have found abundant phenotypic variation and population differentiation in D. melanogaster populations from the east coast of the US and Argentina. Currently, I am generating a list of candidate genes that may be influencing heat and cold tolerance in these natural populations.
Tyler J. Hill
Education: B.S. in Geology from Kansas State University
Current Program at K-State: MS in Geology
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2011
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Research: I am working in Western Kansas to find the source of the oil there. The current thought is that it migrated from the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma. This long distance migration would be possible, but is not the ideal theory. The oil in Kansas is located at several different depths, and does not have similar characteristics of oil from the Anadarko Basin. I will be studying potential source rocks in Kansas and comparing them to the ones that are found in Oklahoma.
Other Interests: I will be getting married in August of 2010. When I graduate I hope to find a job in the oil industry, and I hope that it is close to Kansas where I grew up.
Evan P. Hurley
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry from Hobart College; M.S. in Chemistry from University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Chemistry
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2013
Hometown: Bomoseen, VT
Research: Crystal engineering, Organic synthesis, Nanoparticle synthesis
Other Interests: sports, hunting, cooking
Elizabeth A. Ploetz
Education: B.S. in Biochemistry from Kansas State University; M.S. in Biochemistry from Kansas State University
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Chemistry
Anticipated Graduation Date: May, 2014
Hometown: Kansas City, KS
Research: I am interested in understanding how the structure and dynamics of proteins and peptides is effected by their environment, the initiation and mechanism of protein aggregation, and the role molecular chaperones play in reversing the aggregation process.
My investigative tools are molecular dynamics simulations and a statistical mechanics theory of solutions, the Kirkwood-Buff theory. Computational modeling provides exquisite detail into the systems under study, often allowing me to probe properties beyond what would be accessible from an experiment on the same system in a traditional lab.
Furthermore, I am working to refine the description of intermolecular interactions that are used in molecular dynamics simulations i.e., force field development, so that the results obtained from a simulation will be of improved quantitative accuracy.
Other Interests: I enjoy playing soccer, going camping and taking road trips, going to coffee shops with friends, reading or listening to sales training, and my job as a PRN emergency medical technician.
Susan J. Rolfsmeier
Education: 1998 Bachelor of Arts in Biology (Natural History Concentration)- University of Montana, Missoula Montana; 2000 Master of Science in Museum Studies (Collections Management emphasis), Minor in Biology
Current Program at K-State: PhD in Biology
Anticipated Graduation Date: 2012
Hometown: Chadron, NE
Research: My research is in the field of plant systematics. I am working on the taxonomy of the North American members of the genus Lappula in the forget-me-not family (Boraginaceae). This group of plants has 65 species in Eurasia with a concentration of diversity in Asiatic Russia, Central Asia and parts of China. Alhough this genus is less diverse in western North America, there are still many questions about the number of species, whether they are native to North America, and to which Asian species they are related. In North America most species occur in semi-arid habitats throughout the intermountain and southwestern regions of the United States. However, one species has a circumboreal distribution, and at least one species follows the western Rocky Mountains North into Alaska. I am working on an updated taxonomy of the North American species and conducting phylogenetic research in order to explore evolutionary relationships both among the North American species, and between the North American and Eurasian species.
Other Interests: One of my outreach interests relates to museum collections, in particular herbaria (dried plant collections) and other natural science collections. It is my opinion that the general public is introduced to collections and collections based research (through tours, outreach programs and school visits and not just exhibits) that there will be greater support for collections and research that utilized them. That was not really a hobby. Some of the things I do enjoy are a good cup of tea, trying new recipes, and reading books and camping.