Daneen Grossman’s homepage

A little about me…

I am currently a senior genetic engineering major here at Cedar Crest and have been active in research with Dr. Karnas for the past three years (although it doesn’t seem that long!) During my sophomore year I began thinking about the research opportunities here at Cedar Crest and decided to participate in Karnas’s lab. In a few short months, after graduation, I plan on entering into a Master’s program at the University of Arizona in Microbiology and Immunology with a concentration in Microbial Genetics.

My research project and goals

The title of my research project is The Signal Switching of Arylphorin and Apolipophorin Hemolymph Proteins in Manduca sexta. Although the title sounds intimidating, a synopsis about my research clarifies any confusion. First off, in our lab we work with the tobacco hornworm, also known as Manduca sexta; these creatures are quite cute and lovable!

Pictured on the leaf the 3 life stages of M. sexta: (left, top) pupae, (left, bottom) larvae, and (right) moth.

http://www.manducaproject.com/

Two proteins integral to my research are arylphorin and apolipophorin; these proteins exsist in the blood system, hemolymph, of the insect and are secreted from M. sexta cells. Arylphorin, a storage protein of amino acids, exsits in the hemolymph without any lipid attached, however, lipophorin (made up of two apolipophorins) is a lipidated protein. Both of these genes have a signal sequence at the beginning to direct proteins to the secretory pathway (pathway by which proteins are exported from the cell) and possibly in protein lipidation, perhaps the case for apolipophorin. My main focus is to switch the signal from apolipophorin onto arylphorin in an attempt to lipidate arylphorin. Got all that?

If you are interested in reading fun facts Manduca sexta or want to see some exciting pictures, hit the website: http://www.manducaproject.com/.

Opportunities

Pennsylvania Academy of Science

PAS, which stands for the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, is an annual science conference where students from all over the state come to present their research. Any student involved in research at Cedar Crest has the option of attending and presenting at the conference, however, seniors are typically the presenters. PAS is a valuable experience for those unsure how science conferences work and those who want to share the research they accomplished. This past year, I presented at PAS along with Sariah Allen (graudated in 2003). Below are pictures from PAS, some serious and some not so much!

Pictured from left to right: Sariah Allen, Dr. Karnas, and myself posing at our poster at PAS.

Me presenting my poster at PAS.

Dawn Karzenowski explaining her poster to me at PAS.

Pictured from left to right and top to bottom: Dawn Karzenowski, Julie Yost, me, and Tina Antalino hanging out in the hotub at PAS.

Internships

During the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I was invited to participate in the Undergraduate Biological Research Program through the University of Arizona. My project involved the sequencing of chromosome five of the parasite, Giardia lamblia. The program was informative and allowed me to gain molecular biology techniques outside of my area of research here at Cedar Crest.

Having had an academic internship under my belt, I decided to apply to summer programs at pharmaceutical companies during the summer between my junior and senior year. After applying, I was invited to participate in the summer associate program at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and was involved in a project using chemical similarity and the structure-activity relationships between compounds to enhance compound selection from a large library. Using both chemical similarity and the structure-activity relationships, compounds were selected on the basis of their potential mutagenicity, or genetic toxcity. The program was exceptional; I had the opportunity to make lasting contacts at a company I hope to have a career with in the future.

Through both of my internships, I saw both the advantages and disadvantages to working in academia (university) and a major pharmaceutical company. I would urge any motivated college freshman to begin the internship search and to start early. There are many wonderful programs out there so apply to a diverse amount!