2026 Stupka Symposium

Jennifer Bridwell-Rabb triple majored in Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics at Central Michigan University and then earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Texas A&M University in the laboratory of David Barondeau. She was an HHMI-NIH postdoctoral fellow in Catherine Drennan’s laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan…

Liam Holt completed his Ph. D. at UCSF in 2009, was a Bowes Fellow at UC Berkeley, and is currently Associate Professor of Biochemistry at New York University. His lab studies how mechanical compression affects cells, and how the physical properties of the cell interior affect biochemistry in both normal biology and disease. He is passionate about outreach and community: he co-founded Science Sketches (www.sciencesketches.org), a crowd-sourced project to create an online dictionary of science videos; and Inspire Science (www.inspiresci.org), a symposium about maintaining happiness in a challenging career.

Samuel H. Sternberg, PhD, runs a research laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University, where he is an Associate Professor and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his B.A. in Biochemistry from Columbia University in 2007, graduating summa cum laude, and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 2014, where he worked with Nobel Laureate Dr. Jennifer Doudna…

Liz is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Biochemistry. She has been involved as a 2025-2026 Co-Chair of the Stupka Committee, a peer mentor of the BBMB learning community, and an undergraduate researcher. Her research is under the guidance of Dr. Dipali Sashital, where she works to understand the mechanisms of CRISPR-Cascade, a bacterial defense system that provides adaptive immunity against bacteriophages. After graduating from Iowa State, Liz plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Biochemistry.

Abby is a senior majoring in Biochemistry. She is a peer mentor for the biochemistry learning community and has been an active member of Stupka since freshman year. She is an undergraduate researcher in Eric Underbakke’s Lab, where she investigates the activation mechanisms of two paralogous signaling kinases. Outside of BBMB, Abby is a Resident Assistant at Geoffroy Hall, and enjoys rom-coms, reading, and spending too much time at coffee shops, farmers markets, and anything of the like. After graduating from Iowa State, Abby plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry with the ultimate goal of running her own research lab.

Tristan is a senior double-majoring in Biochemistry and Genetics. He has been involved in multiple roles within the Stupka committee, including operations chair, alumni chair, operations team lead, communications team lead, and 2025-2026 Co-Chair. He is the Senior Teaching Assistant of the President’s Leadership Class and has served in the past as a peer mentor within the BBMB Learning Community. He is an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Reuben Peters, where he investigates the metabolic pathways that rice uses to defend itself from biotic and abiotic stresses. Outside of the lab or classroom, Tristan can be found wandering around Iowa State’s campus with his nose in a book or with his face painted at Cyclone athletics events. After graduating from Iowa State, Tristan plans on attending graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in
Crop Sciences.

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