Mentor: Peng Chen

Education:

University of Delaware (Newark, DE) – Honors Bachelor of Science Degree with Distinction in Chemistry, August 2011 – May 2015

Awards and Honors

• 2015 – American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Undergraduate Student Award
• 2015 – First Place Award in Biochemistry, 79th Annual Intercollegiate Student Chemists Convention
• 2015 – Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
• 2015 – University of Delaware Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Quaesita Drake Scholarship
• 2015 – University of Delaware Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Merck Index Award
• 2015 – University of Delaware Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, James A. Moore Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry
• 2014 – University of Delaware Undergraduate Research Program, Donald W. Harward Fellowship
• 2014 – University of Delaware Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Quaesita Drake Scholarship
• 2014 – Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Scholar Award
• 2014 – Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
• 2014 – American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Undergraduate Affiliate Network (UAN)
Travel Award, 2014 Experimental Biology Conference in San Diego, CA
• 2013 – American Chemical Society(ACS)-Hach Scientific Foundation Land Grant Undergraduate Scholarship (National Award)
• 2013 – University of Delaware Honors Program, General Honors Award
• 2013 – First Place, Chemical Sciences Division, 16th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and
Biological Sciences at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
• 2013 – Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Scholar Award
• 2012 – Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society
• 2012 – National Society of Collegiate Scholars
• 2012 – University of Delaware Alumni Association, Class of 1958 Scholarship
• 2011 – 2015 – University of Delaware, Dean’s List
• 2011 – National Society of Leadership and Success
• 2011 – University of Delaware, Community Service Scholar Award
• 2011 – Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar with Distinction
• 2011 – Pennsylvania Masonic Youth Foundation Scholarship
• 2011 – Elks National Foundation, Most Valuable Student Scholarship
• 2011 – American Society for Metals (ASM International), Materials Education Foundation Scholarship
• 2011 – U.S. Achievement Academy, National Leadership and Service Award
• 2011 – U.S. Achievement Academy, All-American Scholar Award
• 2011 – Berks’ Best, Mathematics Finalist
• 2011 – Berks’ Best, Science Winner

Research Experience:

University of Delaware, January 2013 – May 2015 – Performed organic synthesis research under Dr. Catherine Leimkuhler Grimes to further progress in the fields of chemical glycobiology and the innate immune system. Specifically, I designed a variety of novel muramyl dipeptide (MDP) monomers and oligomers to determine if a multivalent interaction exists between MDP and Nod2, a human innate immune receptor involved in Crohn’s disease.

Current Research Activities:

My current studies, under the guidance of Professor Peng Chen, focus on the interaction dynamics of metal homeostasis proteins. Although trace amounts of metals are essential for bacterial survival, large quantities of such metals can pose the threat of cytotoxicity to the cell. To maintain homeostasis, bacteria have evolved elaborate mechanisms to expel excess metals; however, these processes are poorly understood. My research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms behind copper resistance in three protein systems: CusCBA (a tripartitie metal efflux pump found in E.coli), CusRS (a two-component regulatory system, also found in E.coli), and CopA/CupA (found in S. pneumoniae). To explore the dynamics and kinetics of protein-protein interactions in these systems, I employ a series of single-molecule tracking experiments in live cells. In the future, I plan to additionally use single-molecule FRET microscopy to observe the interactions between CopA and CupA, CusR and CusS, and CusR and its cognate DNA.