I was brought in as a front end specialist to overhaul their web products. I implemented code and structure to allow for responsive design, improved functionality, and maintainability. As this was a small development team I functioned in a number of different roles including UI/UX development, QA, research, and customer support.

We developed products for the Stanford School of Business, Cisco, National Parks, AAA, and others.

In the summer of 2011 I had the opportunity to intern with Diana Chu’s lab. Mark Sampson was my mentor. I studied male infertility, and spermatogenesis.

As part of this mentorship I was able to present my poster at the 2011 SACNAS in San Jose, CA.

I enjoyed a six month internship at BSRI in Dr. Marcus Muench’s laboratory. Their research is focused on understanding the hierarchy of fetal hepatic precursors, and studying the role of the growth factors HGF, EGF, and FGF8 on their growth and differentiation into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes.

My internship provided me with training and experience in cell isolation using immunomagnetic beads, density gradients, and flow cytometry - employing primary cell culture and mouse models of human cell transplantation to study the growth and differentiation of the cells. Analyses of the cells is performed using epifluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and quantitative PCR.

This internship was awarded through a CIRM funded scholarship via San Francisco City College. CIRM (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine) provides funds for stem cell research at non-profit institutions and companies throughout California in an effort to accelerate stem cell therapies.

http://www.cirm.ca.gov/

This summer I am interning in the Holly Ingraham lab with Clement Cheung, M.D./Ph.D. as my mentor. The Ingraham lab focuses on the gene Steroidogenic Factor 1 (SF1). SF1 is a nuclear receptor that regulates multiple genes involved in adrenal and gonadal development, steroidogenesis, and the reproductive axis.

The lab has produced a mouse with a knock in GFP label on the 3' end of the SF1 gene. SF1 is expressed in the hypothalamus and related brain fiber tracts. Employing the labeled SF1 gene I've been involved with research pertaining to prenatal programming of the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the effects of restricted nutrition on development.