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Former Undergraduates

This page lists undergraduates that received some distinction, such as graduation with honors or publication. Many other undergraduates have also done research in the lab and, though not listed here, are not forgotten.
Karl-Julius Muller gives honors talk Graduation: May 2023

Distinction: Honors in Biology

Thesis: MAssessment of ATR/ATM Phospho-Regulation of Bloom Syndrome Helicase in DNA Repair and Development

Mentor: Evan Dewey

Emma Kaeppler gives honors talk Graduation: May 2023

Distinction: Honors in Biology

Thesis: Mapping Meiotic Crossovers in Drosophila Using Combinatorial Indexing and Whole-Genome Sequencing

Mentor: Carolyn Turcotte

Subsequent Positions:
  • EMT, Charlotte, NC
Colleen Bereda Graduation: May 2022

Distinction: Highest Honors in Biology

Thesis: Protein-Protein Interaction of Blm Helicase and Topoisomerase 3-alpha

Mentor: Evan Dewey

Subsequent Positions:
Colette Anikwue Graduation: May 2021

Distinction: Honors in Biology

Thesis: Investigating the effect of Mei-218 Phosphorylation on Interference and Crossover Rates in Drosophila melanogaster

Mentor: Susan Cheek

Subsequent Positions:
  • Postbac Researcher, UNC

Maggie Miller
Maggie Miller
Graduation:
May 2019
Mentor:
Publication:
After leaving:
Physicians' Assistant Program
Medical University of South Carolina

Evan Gales
Evan Gales
Graduation:
Dec 2018
Publication:
After leaving:
Laboratory Assistant

Caitlin Moffatt
Caitlin Moffatt
Graduation:
May 2018
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
Altering substrate specificity of the nuclease GEN.
After leaving:
Postbac research at NIH (2018-2020)
PhD student, Harvard University (2020-)

Emily Buzhardt
Emily Buzhardt
Graduation:
May 2015
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
Drosophila Marcal1 in double-strand break repair by
synthesis-dependent strand annealing.
After leaving:
Nurse practitioner

Deepti Shroff
Deepti Schroff
Graduation:
Dec 2014
Mentor:
After leaving:
Harvard School of Dental Medicine (DDS 2018)
Residency, UNC School of Dentistry (Pediatric Dentistry)

Chris Rota
Chris Rota
Graduation:
May 2014
Distinction:
Highest Honors in Biology
Thesis:
Evaluating the role of rtel in synthesis-dependent
strand annealing in
D. melanogaster.
Mentor:
Publication:
H.K. Kuo, S. McMahan, C. Rota, K.P. Kohl, and J. Sekelsky (2014) Drosophila FANCM helicase prevents spontaneous mitotic crossovers generated by the MUS81 and SLX1 nucleases. Genetics 198: 135-145.
After leaving:
Postbac research at National Cancer Institute (2014-16).
PhD, Harvard Medical School (2022).
Scientist, Flow Cytometry at Cerba Research.

Salma Azam
Salma Azam
Graduation:
May 2013
Distinction:
Highest Honors in Biology
Thesis:
Determining if Bloom helicase and Rad51 recombination
interact in
Drosophila melanogaster.
Mentor:
After leaving:
PhD student at UNC (PhD 2019).
Medical Writing and Clinical Submissions Manager, Viiv Healthcare.

Kathleen Wallace
Kathleen Wallace
Graduation:
May 2013
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
Investigating the ability of the Drosophila Holliday junction
resolvase GEN to dimerize in solution.
After leaving:
Research in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan Berg, MD, PhD.

Devin Holland
Devin Holland
Graduation:
May 2012
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
A test of the hypothesis that Drosophila MEI-218 evolved to fill
the functional niche of MSH4-MSH5 in meiotic recombination.
Mentor:
After leaving:
Medical school at UNC School of Medicine (full scholarship!) MD, 2016

Amber Beg
Amber Beg
Graduation:
May 2011
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
The function of MUS312 in DNA repair promoted by the
Fanconi Anemia pathway.
Mentor:
After leaving:
Postbac research
          National Institutes of Health / NHLBI
          laboratory of Nasser Rusan
UAB School of Medicine, MD 2015.

Lewis Overton
Lewis Overton
Graduation:
May 2009
Distinction:
Honors in Biology
Thesis:
The role of common repair pathways in resolving
formaldehyde-induced DNA-protein crosslinks.
Mentor:
Publication:
  • M.C. LaFave, S.L. Andersen, E.P. Stoffregen, J.K. Holsclaw, K.P. Kohl, L.J. Overton, and J. Sekelsky (2013) Sources and structures of mitotic crossovers that arise when BLM helicase is absent in Drosophila. Genetics 196: 107-118.
  • After leaving:
    Medical school at Medical College of South Carolina. Residency at UNC Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

    Lena Hyatt
    Lena Hyatt
    Graduation:
    December 2008
    Distinction:
    Goldwater Fellowship
    Amgen Scholar
    Highest Honors in Biology
    Thesis:
    BLM and its binding partners: A functional
    and physical characterization in
    Drosophila melanogaster.
    After leaving:
    Graduate school
    International Max Planck Research School, Göttingen, Germany (MS, 2011)
    The Rockefeller University (PhD, 2018)
    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Junior Group Leader, Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

    Sumreen Hussain
    Sumreen Hussain
    Graduation:
    May 2007
    Distinction:
    Highest Honors in Biology
    Thesis:
    Understanding checkpoint response and DNA replication in Drosophila melanogaster: Identifying genes that interact with E(mus304) and mei-41.
    Mentor:
    Publication:
    J. LaRocque, D.L. Dougherty, S. Hussain, and J. Sekelsky (2007) Reducing DNA polymerase α in the absence of Drosophila ATR leads to P53-dependent apoptosis and developmental defects. Genetics 176: 1441-1451.
    Award:
    Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2006).
    After leaving:
    Medical school at UNC School of Medicine, M.D. May, 2011

    Rob van der Vaart
    Rob van der Vaart
    Graduation:
    May 2007
    Distinction:
    Honors in Biology
    Thesis:
    Analysis of DNA repair in okra mutant flies.
    After leaving:
    Medical school at Wake Forest University School of Medicine

    Yuri Broze
    Yuri Broze
    Graduation:
    May 2006
    Publication:
    M. McVey, S.L. Andersen, Y. Broze, and J. Sekelsky (2007) Multiple functions of the Drosophila Blm helicase in maintaining genome stability. Genetics 176: 1979-1992.
    After leaving:
    Travelled in search of Yuri Broze.
    Graduate school for Music Theory, The Ohio State University.

    Mathilde Sabourin Hutchings
    Mathilde Sabourin
    Graduation:
    May 2006
    Distinction:
    Research Commendation in Biology
    Thesis:
    Characterization of a mismatch repair mutant in Drosophila melanogaster.
    Mentor:
    Publication:
    S.J. Radford, M. Sabourin, S. McMahan, and J. Sekelsky (2007) Meiotic recombination in Drosophila Msh6 mutants yields discontinuous gene conversion tracts. Genetics 176: 52-63.
    After leaving:
    Masters in Public Health, Boston University (2010)
    Public Health Program Manager at Ariadne Labs

    Grace Wallenborn
    Grace Wallenborn
    Graduation:
    May 2005
    Distinction:
    Research Commendation in Biology
    Thesis:
    Investigating the mitotic role of rec in Drosophila melanogaster.
    Mentor:
    After leaving:
    PhD, Envir. Sci. & Engineering, UNC School of Public Health
    Postdoctoral research at Medical Univ. of South Carolina
    MS, Medical University of South Carolina
    Physcians' Assistant, Asheville, NC

    Gabi Radut Meyer
    Gabi Radut
    Graduation:
    May 2005
    Distinction:
    Research Commendation in Biology
    Thesis:
    Genetic and molecular characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster
    gene
    recombination defective (rec).
    Mentor:
    After leaving:
    Medical school at Quillen College of Medicine, ETSU
    University of Vermont Internal Medicine Residency

    Diana Dougherty
    Diana Dougherty
    Graduation:
    May 2005
    Distinction:
    Research Commendation in Biology
    Thesis:
    Characterization of genetic interactions between DNA repair
    components and cell cycle checkpoints in
    Drosophila.
    Mentor:
    Publication:
    J. LaRocque, D.L. Dougherty, S. Hussain, and J. Sekelsky (2007) Reducing DNA polymerase α in the absence of Drosophila ATR leads to P53-dependent apoptosis and developmental defects. Genetics 176: 1441-1451.
    After leaving:
    MD, Drexel Univ. College of Medicine
    Resident Physician, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

    Liz Veazey
    Liz Veazey
    Graduation:
    May 2004
    Mentor:
    Liz Goley
    Award:
    Morris K. Udall scholarship (2002, 2003)
    After leaving:
    Environmental activism
    Graduate school, University of Oregon

    Kim Baxter Decker
    Kim Baxter
    Graduation:
    May 2003
    Distinction:
    Highest Honors in Biology
    Thesis:
    Processing of meiotic Holliday junction intermediates in Drosophila:
    Does MEI-9 cut or does DmBLM unwind?
    Mentor:
    After leaving:
    Postbac research, National Institutes of Health
    PhD, Johns Hopkins University (2011)
    Postdoctoral Fellow, Benaroya Research Institute

    Ben Kramer
    Ben Kramer
    Graduation:
    May 2003
    Distinction:
    Highest Honors in Biology
    Thesis:
    A genetic analysis of mei-9 in repair pathways
    to account for the milder symptoms of XP-F.
    Mentor:
    Publications:
    After leaving:
    M.D. University of Washington (2007)
    Opthamology residency, Univ. of Michigan
    Fellow in Pediatric Ophthalmology, Medical Univ. South Carolina

    Tomeka Suber
    Graduation:
    May 2002
    Distinction:
    Honors in Chemistry
    Mentor:
    After leaving:
    MD-PhD student, Johns Hopkins University
    Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow, University of Pittsburgh

    Shilvi Shah
    Graduation:
    May 2001
    Distinction:
    Honors in Chemistry
    Mentor:
    After leaving:
    D.D.S.?