Office: Wilkens Science Center, Room 209-F
Office hours: Mon 8:00 - 9:00 pm, Zoom only; Weds 2:00 - 4:00 pm; Thurs 11:00 am - 12:00 pm; by appointment also
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; B.A., Cornell University; Post-doctoral work (research), UCSF; Post-doctoral work (teaching), Harvard Medical School
In this age of information overload, students are bombarded by facts at their fingertips. In the classroom and in the laboratory, I emphasize a problem-solving approach and seek to develop students' abilities to pose testable hypotheses and to solve problems on their own. I see this as central to success outside of the classroom. Introducing students to the excitement of obtaining interesting and unexpected results is also the most gratifying part of being a scientist educator.
What I Love About Emmanuel:
Students here are very engaged in service - something I truly admire and aspire to. Also, our faculty and administrators feel strongly about creating a rich community, and are so giving of their time to colleagues and students alike. Working at Emmanuel is not a job, but rather a way of life.
Localization pattern of Tem1-GFP, a protein in the mitotic exit network that associates with spindle pole bodies (yeast centrosome equivalent). Blue - DAPI (DNA stain); Green - Tem1-GFP.
My research interests focus on understanding cell division using baker's yeast as a model system. Specifically, my goal is to elucidate error-correction mechanisms in this process that exist in cells. My students and I particularly enjoy visualizing proteins that sense cell division errors within yeast cells using the green fluorescent protein and microscopy. We are currently engaged in studying the roles of two proteins - Lte1 and Bfa1. These proteins are both part of a Ras-like signaling cascade called the Mitotic Exit Network (MEN). Using a combination of genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry, we are uncovering novel roles for these proteins in mitotic exit. The exit from mitosis is the transition that dividing cells make from mitosis into G1. Several components of the MEN pathway are conserved from yeast to human cells. We hope to understand the various mechanisms by which eukaryotic cells maintain the fidelity of cell division and thereby prevent the development of cancer.
Emmanuel is a place where students broaden their sense of what’s possible and prepare for inspiring careers in an ever-changing world. Be here.