2024 Stupka Symposium

Dr. Simon Gilroy is a professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA. He grew up in the United Kingdom and studied plant biology for his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University and for his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He did a postdoc at the University of California-Berkeley before starting his own research group, first at The Pennsylvania State University before moving to Wisconsin. His laboratory uses a combination of molecular genetics and advanced imaging approaches to understand how plants sense and respond to their environment…

Dr. Susan Marqusee is a Professor of Molecular & Cell Biology and Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and the Assistant Director overseeing Biological Sciences at the National Science Foundation. She received her A.B. in Physics and Chemistry from Cornell University in 1982, and her M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford in 1990. After a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT, she joined the UC Berkeley faculty as Assistant Professor in 1992, advancing to Associate and Full Professor in 1998 and 2001, respectively…

Dr. Cory Knoot attended ISU from 2005 – 2009, majoring in Biochemistry. While at ISU, Cory worked in the laboratory of Prof. Erik Vollbrecht on a variety of projects related to Zea mays development. He still recalls designing his first PCR primers in the Summer of 2006. In 2010, he started in the BMBB graduate doctoral program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. In 2015, earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry studying the structures and catalytic mechanisms of non-heme iron oxygenases…

Avani is a senior majoring in biochemistry. She is the secretary of both the Stupka Planning Committee and Biochemistry Club. She has worked in Dr. Dipali Sashital’s lab as an undergraduate researcher since her freshman year. Her project studies retron systems, a type of bacterial defense system against bacteriophages. Her hobbies include cross-stitching, baking, and tending to her large collection of houseplants! After graduating from Iowa State, she plans to attend medical school.

Austin is a sophomore studying biochemistry. He is the Stupka media co-chair and director of the 2024 Stupka promotional video. Currently, he works in Dr. Julien Roche’s lab, and plans to earn a master’s degree in biochemistry. From there, Austin hopes to work in medicine or pharmaceuticals. His project focuses on a transcription factor Activation Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4), which is disordered and ubiquitously expressed throughout the human body. The overall goal of his project is to explore how multisite phosphorylation affects the transcriptional activity of ATF4.

Preston is a senior in biochemistry. He is a lab assistant for BBMB 312 and has worked in the lab of Dr. Reuben Peters for several years. His project covers the investigation of the accessibility of divergent functions in ancestral enzymes by asking if single residue switches for product outcome apply to ancestral reconstructed genes. He plans to attend graduate school at Vanderbilt University or the University of Iowa to study neuroscience and obtain a Ph.D.

Avani is a junior majoring in biochemistry. She is the merchandise chair of both the Stupka Planning Committee and BBMB Club. She has been working in Dr. Dipali Sashital’s lab as an undergraduate researcher since her freshman year. Her project studies retron systems, a type of bacterial defense system against bacteriophages. After graduating from Iowa State, she plans to attend medical school.

Braden is a junior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in microbiology. He is currently the Alumni Chair of the Stupka Symposium Planning Committee. He also acts as Outreach Chair in the BBMB Club, a Peer Mentor for the BBMB Learning Community, and a teaching assistant in the BBMB teaching labs. He works as an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Aubrey Mendonca’s lab studying the effects of atmospheric cold plasma in food decontamination. Braden plans to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation and eventually run his own lab as faculty.

Caroline Meis is a sophomore majoring in biochemistry with minors in Spanish and pharmacology/toxicology. Caroline joined Dr. Dipa Sashital’s lab in 2022 and studies how CRISPR-Cas systems differentiate self from non-self. She currently serves as Publicity Chair of the Stupka Committee. Outside of BBMB, Caroline enjoys playing piano, reading books, and playing tennis on the Iowa State Competitive Club Team. After graduating from Iowa State University, Caroline plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry.

• Biochemistry Club: Member since 1st year; Breakfast Club Chair years 2-4
• Stupka Symposium: Member since 1st year; Media Chair years 2-3; Design Team Leader year 3; Co-Chair year 4
• Plans After Graduation: Work at an oncology clinic at the University of Minnesota while applying to medical school.

• Biochemistry Club: Member since 1st year, Social Chair years 2-3, Treasurer year 4
• Stupka Symposium: Member since 1st year; Treasurer years 2-3; Operations Chair year 4, and Operations Team Leader years 3-4
• Plans After Graduation: Continue working in a hospital while studying for MCAT and exploring healthcare career options.

• Biochemistry Club: Member since 1st year; Outreach Chair year 2, Secretary (fall)/President (spring) year 3; President year 4
• Stupka Symposium: Poster help and Poster Presenter year 3; Food Co-Chair year 4
• Plans After Graduation: Mission trip to Southeast Asia prior to National Guard deployment.