October 2017 e-Catalyst Newsletter

Vol. 3, Issue 9

October 2017

Fall 2017 Catalyst Now Available

The Fall 2017 issue of the Catalyst has been mailed to all alumni in the United States for whom we have a valid mailing address. We had too much news to fit in 28 pages, so please check out the expanded online version for the complete stories.


	Photo of Dr. Matt Cordes courtesy of Beatriz Verdugo

Birth of a New Protein: How Evolution Does More Than Tinker

A UA-led team has found that a protein from a new gene can fold like more ancient proteins, contrary to what had been believed.

Njardarson Group Realizes amino-Cope Rearrangement Revival

Dr. Jon Njardarson and his "Team Cope" report a new asymmetric anion-accelerated amino-Cope reaction.


	Dr. John Pollard

Realizing a "New Normal" of Evidence-Based Instruction

AAU President M. S. Coleman calls for a "new normal" in which "all faculty members with both use and be rewarded for using evidence-based approaches to instruction."

Kasia Smolinski and

Regan Anderson

Kasia Smolinski named October 2017 Student of the Month

Regan Anderson decided to nominate Kasia for this award because the latter is so very dedicated to her academic success.

Alumni News

Stephanie Navarro (BA in Chemistry; BA in Spanish, 2017) I am volunteering with Clinica Amistad, taking additional classes, and studying for the MCAT. I will be applying to medical school this next cycle.

Matthew O'Mara (BS in Biochemistry, 2017) I am now employed as a Research Associate at Biotech Cancer Research, a startup in he San Francisco Bay area.

Alison Ross (BS in Biochemistry, 2017) I have started my first year as a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. I am currently rotating in Dr. Jean Gautier's lab at the Institute for Cancer Genetics, studying the motion of DNA double-stranded breaks. I feel that the CBC coursework has prepared me for quite well for graduate school, especially Dr. Horton's Nucleic Acids class!

Angela Schlegel (BS in Biochemistry, 2013) I am currently in my 5th year at Washington University in Saint Louis, where I am pursuing a PhD in Plant and Microbial Biosciences in the Lab of Dr. Liz Haswell. Our lab focuses on studying the mechanisms underlying how plants sense and respond to mechanical force, and my thesis work is focused on studying the potential role of a mitochondrial protein in this process at the organellar level.