2022 Stupka Symposium

Dr. Elizabeth Haswell is an associate professor of biology and an HHMI-Simon Faculty Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis. She is interested in how plant molecular and cellular mechanisms perceive force. Her research currently focuses on studies of several families of mechanosensitive ion channels. She also works on functional and genetic screens to identify mechanosensory proteins and on the development of non-invasive tools for studying membrane forces.

Dr. Jason McLellan is a professor of molecular biosciences at The University of Texas at Austin. He researches the structure and function of viral and bacterial proteins for development of vaccines and treatments. His research was important for the engineering of a key protein in coronaviruses for use in vaccines, including COVID-19. His research has been recognized by a Golden Goose Award, the William Prusoff Memorial Award, and several other

Justin Miller, Ph.D. (B.S., Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, ISU ‘15) is a Knight ADRC Postdoctoral Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). While at ISU, Justin completed an honors thesis in the laboratory of Dr. Basil Nikolau. Following graduation, he enrolled in the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology program at WUSTL, where he performed research in the laboratories of Drs. Audrey Odom John and Joseph Jez. His thesis used a combination of structural biology, enzymology, and chemogenomics to understand how Staphylococcibecome resistant to various metabolic inhibitors, and how these resistance mechanisms can be leveraged to develop new and improved anti-infectives. Justin is now working alongside Dr. Greg Bowman (WUSTL) where he is working to understand why specific variants of human apolipoprotein E (ApoE) are associated with Alzheimer’s disease as well as develop new therapeutic options targeting ApoE.

Kevin is a Junior majoring in Biochemistry and minoring Mathematics. He is currently the Treasurer of Stupka Committee, Treasurer of BBMB club, and a peer mentor of the BBMB learning committee. He works as an undergrad research assistant to Dr. Marjory Rover in the Bioeconomy Institute where they seek to develop a fuel additive that is 100% biorenewable by employing the Folin-Ciocalteu method to esterify phenolic bio-oil from plants. After graduation, he is planning on going to medical school, specializing in pediatrics.

Michelle is a junior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in biology. She is currently the publicity chair for the Stupka Committee and a peer mentor for the BBMB Learning Community. Michelle has been working in Dr. Reuben Peters’ lab since 2020. Currently, she is studying the combinatorial biosynthesis of diterpenoid natural products. After graduating from Iowa State, Michelle plans to attend medical school or possibly an MD-PhD program.

Cheng Ern Yap is a senior majoring in biochemistry with a minor in pharmacology- toxicology. She has been working in Dr. Olga Zabotina’s lab since the Fall of 2021, where she is involved in two research projects. The first studies cotton fiber cell wall polysaccharides glycome profiling to determine the factors that contribute to the fiber quality. The second involves cloning and biochemically characterizing four enzymes involved in the cell wall xyloglucan synthesizing complex. She is also a 2021-2022 Linder Scholar. After graduation, she plans to continue doing research in graduate school.

Kathryn Butterfield is a senior majoring in biochemistry and genetics. She joined the Sashital lab in the spring of 2019 as an undergraduate researcher studying CRISPR-Cas12fl protein specificity. Outside of the lab, Kathryn enjoys baking and riding her horse. In the fall, she plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a PhD in biomedical sciences.