Margarida Anjos

"The department is a very friendly community where I feel
that I fit in."

After moving to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2004 with my husband so that he could attend Carnegie Mellon, I realized that my job options were limited because of my immigration status. Not one to sit around and do nothing, I became interested Professor Chuck Ettensohn’s research and experiments happening in his lab. I started reading about gene regulatory networks and learning about embryonic development in sea urchins. It was then that I really became interested in developmental biology, more specifically in identifying cis-regulatory elements, which are DNA sequences that regulate gene expression. In the fall of 2006 I joined the Department of Biological Sciences as a Ph.D. student. I am currently working on the identification of the cis-regulatory elements that control the expression of the gene Alx1, which is involved in the skeletal development of the sea urchin embryo.

The department is a very friendly community where I feel that I fit in. It felt very natural to me to continue my studies and move from biological engineering to developmental biology. When I’m finished with my Ph.D., I hope to continue research, either in academia or industry.

Michael Chen
B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Washington

"...interaction among labs, among faculty and among students really fosters a sense of community in the department"

In May of 2006, I officially joined the lab of Dr. Javier Lopez to begin my doctoral research project. Currently, I'm working on a number of projects, trying to narrow down what I want to focus on. My research mainly uses molecular biology to look at the large-scale effects of recursive gene splicing on cell function and development in Drosophila melanogaster. So far, I've had some really exciting results and I look forward to narrowing down my project even further.

Finishing up my first year as a Ph.D. student is quite an accomplishment. My fellow first year students and I bonded over rotations, the core course in Biochemistry, and student happy hours. The core course in Biochemistry introduces you topics in biology that you may not be familiar with. The most helpful aspect of the Biochemistry core course, besides all the relevant reading we had to keep up with, was that it was co-taught by five different faculty members, all of whom had different approaches and methods to research. Also, the three rotations that, as a first year student, I was required to complete introduced me to three distinct approaches to solving biological problems. For example, Dr. Chuck Ettensohn explained his molecular approaches to studying development in sea urchins while Dr. Tina Lee demonstrated how she uses biochemistry to look at ER exit sites. It's refreshing how the people in within the department move among techniques and methods to achieve results.

The overlap of methods is one of the main reasons that I decided to come to Carnegie Mellon. Also, I was looking for a close-knit, friendly community. I enjoy being able to walk right upstairs to see what's going on in another lab - we are always welcome! The interaction among labs, among faculty and among students really fosters a sense of community in the department.

Tiffany Miles Randall
B.S., Washington and Lee University
Summer Undergraduate Research Program participant, Carnegie Mellon

"...we receive individualized attention and freedom to create a personalized schedule tailored to our interests."

I was introduced to Carnegie Mellon's Biological Sciences department in the summer of 1998, when I participated in the SURP program working in Susan Henry's lab. It was such a wonderful experience - in fact, the project went so well my advisor asked me to stay past the ten-week program to continue working! I was really swept off my feet by the quality of research taking place in the Biological Sciences department and decided that I wanted to be a part of it for my graduate education.

Because our department is really small compared to huge biology departments at other schools, we receive individualized attention and freedom to create a personalized schedule tailored to our interests. There are great interdisciplinary opportunities available for students. In fact, there have been many students who became interested in areas of study outside of the biological sciences, such as science writing or business. These students were able to tailor their Ph.D. programs to these specific interests by taking courses in these areas. I am very interested in public health issues, so I audited a public health course at the University of Pittsburgh and met regularly with professors in public policy at the Heinz school, which led to me being offered a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Environmental Oncology at University of Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh university community has also made my experience here wonderful. Our lab participates in monthly meetings with other research groups at the University of Pittsburgh. These meetings are helpful because they provide opportunities for students to receive feedback and suggestions on the research they have presented. We also learn about research going on in other local labs and find out about new equipment and reagents that are available. One of my thesis advisory committee members is a professor from the University of Pittsburgh that I met at our monthly meeting.

The faculty and staff here are committed to making this the best graduate experience it can possibly be for me and every other student. They truly listen to what we have to say and often ask us for our perspective when making a decision about changes to the program. Because of concerns expressed by the graduate students, we now have student health insurance.

I have put together a list of resources for African American students living in Pittsburgh. This list covers everything from historical sites to cultural events to restaurants:
Links and Resources for African American Students

Shoba Subramanian
B.S., Ramnarain Ruia College
M.S., University of Madras
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon, 2005
"Analysis of Protein Factors Involved in Vacuole Biogenesis and Protein Folding in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"

"This is an ideal department for collaborations and sharing of resources on projects that are outside of your area of expertise"

One of the things I like best about the program at Carnegie Mellon is that everyone in the department is so approachable and friendly. You can walk into the offices of any of the faculty almost always with any questions or concerns you might have. The beauty is that not only do the faculty know you and are familiar with your research, but they are ALWAYS willing to help you with any problems under any circumstance.

The small size of the program is also an advantage.   You are very visible in the department, and the personalized attention that you receive ensures that you get a greater perspective of your research area.  

Prospective students should keep their options open when starting the program. When I began the Ph.D. program I had no idea what my strengths and weaknesses were and felt a bit lost and nervous. The diversity of research topics in this department makes it easy for a student to identify his or her area of interest, both during lab rotations as well as the during the first year course work.

This is an ideal department for collaborations and sharing of resources on projects that are outside of your area of expertise. During my thesis work, I have gained tremendously by such collaborations, both within our department and with the Biology department at the University of Pittsburgh.

Overall, the program here has nurtured me well, both in terms of thinking about scientific problems in a critical manner as well as tackling scientific questions with novel and elegant technologies.

Finally, Pittsburgh is a great city to live in. In addition to the cutting-edge research carried out here at the various universities, there is a lot to do here. It has three great sports teams and a terrific symphony orchestra and ballet. And for those of you who love the outdoors, this is a perfect place as the there are innumerable scenic, at the same time quite challenging, hiking and biking trails within and around the city. Most importantly, both the city and the university are extremely considerate towards students; a student can almost always get discount tickets for a lot of good events!

Tamara Berdyyeva
B.S. in Physics, University of Kiev
M.S. in Physics, Clarkson University

"The level of collaboration in the department is incredible."

I came to the Biology Department at Carnegie-Mellon University in 2003. As one can imagine, it was very scary to find myself in a completely unknown city, in a completely new science field (I have both my Bachelor and Master degrees in Physics), and have virtually nobody around to help. However, things changed radically after I spent just a few days in the Department - suddenly I discovered that I was more than welcome here. Everybody knew my name and who I was, everybody was glad to help me or to give me a piece of advice, everybody was very friendly and supportive (and still are).

I think this is a key feature of the Department - you can walk into any office, talk to any student or faculty member, ask for anything you need. It can be driving directions (which is very important in Pittsburgh!), an opinion on a scientific topic in which you are currently interested, information about which lab might have an enzyme you are dying without; the enzyme itself, equipment you'd like to use - virtually anything; and nobody would ever turn you down - they will help if they can. The level of collaboration in the Department is incredible.

My second favorite thing in the Department is the flexibility: you are a creator of your own scientific curriculum. Nobody will say "you must take this course" or "you must go to this lab" - the choice is yours. People will give you advice if you ask for it or recommend something which might be useful given your general interests, but no pressure ever!

And the last (but not the least) advantage: free food at least twice a week!

Piyanun Harnpicharnchai
B.S. in Biochemistry, Brown University
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon, 2004
"Dynamics of Ribosome Assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae"

"What I love the most about our department is how close-knit we are as a community."

Sawaddee ka. This is how we say "hi" in Thai. As you can probably guess, I was originally from Thailand. In my free time, I enjoy reading, cooking Thai food, and relaxing at the beach. (There are a lot of beautiful beaches and islands in Thailand. You will certainly have a great time visiting them!)

My Experience at CMU: What I love the most about our department is how close-knit we are as a community. People here are always friendly and helpful to one another. I can often walk into any lab to get advice (both science-related and non-science-related) or reagents for experiments. I am also very humbled by the level of intelligence and dedication my colleagues have regarding their work. Being at CMU has been a truly great experience for me.

The science: My research project is focused on Nop7p, a nucleolar protein necessary for the production of the 60S ribosomal subunit in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Nop7p has homologs in higher eukaryotes, suggesting that its functions are highly conserved. Interestingly, yeast Nop7p also participates in the cell cycle, and its mammalian homologues are implicated in the control of cell proliferation (for example, in tumor cells). I have adapted the TAP method, developed by Bertrand Seraphin, to affinity purify ribosome assembly intermediates containing Nop7p and have identified proteins and RNAs that are in these ribonucleoprotein complexes with Nop7p. Furthermore, purification of several nucleolar proteins (including Nop7p) has been used to investigate the dynamics of pre-ribosomal particles during ribosome assembly. For example, we can begin to understand how one protein might depend on the presence of another protein to be assembled into the particles. In addition, I have identified subcomplexes, i.e. small ribonucleoprotein neighborhoods, within the assembling ribosome.

Brian Sage
B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon, 2004
"Factors Influencing Gene Silencing by Heterochromatin in trans"
Member, Sigma Xi

"...the one defining impact that my stay at Carnegie Mellon has had on me was teaching me to think with a scientific mind."

My Carnegie Mellon experience has been invaluable to me. I chose Carnegie Mellon because I wanted the environment created within a department at a small university. During my interview I was struck by the interactions among the faculty and graduate students who got along very well on both personal and scientific levels.

My stay has been very productive; when I graduate I will have published three first-author papers, presented at scientific conferences, mentored students, and served on various committees. Although my experiences have taught me many things, the one defining impact that my stay at Carnegie Mellon has had on me was teaching me to think with a scientific mind. The lessons I've learned have given me a broad-based background, awarding me the skills necessary for my future career. While my graduate research has focused on determining factors influencing gene silencing by heterochromatin in trans , I have also been allowed to pursue my long-term research interest. When I leave CMU I will be changing fields and moving into research on the molecular mechanisms of aging.

Finally, I have even had the opportunity to develop my leisure pursuit, cycling. I've joined with the greater cycling community in Pittsburgh, participated in road cycling races, and even created a team composed of Carnegie Mellon faculty and students that participates in the MS150, a 150-mile bike ride to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.