Dr. Christine D. Keating

Education: B.S. Saint Francis University of Loretto, PA, 1991; Ph.D. Penn State University, 1997

Awards: Beckman Young Investigator Award, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, 2004-07
Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Colloid and Surfactant Science, 2004
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 2004
NSF New Faculty CAREER Award, 2003-08

Email: keating *at* chem.psu.edu

Meghan Andes-Koback

Hometown: Hazleton, PA

Education: B.S., Chemistry, King's College (Wilkes Barre, PA)

Awards: PSU Roberts Fellowship (2005-2006)

Research Area: My research focuses on studying polymer-polymer interactions as they occur in an aqueous two phase system (ATPS) under various conditions. Knowledge gained can be extended to understand interactions occurring in the lipid model cell developed by previous members of our group. Ultimately, this research can provide insight into interactions and mechanisms found in a primitive biological cell.

Hobbies: Reading, exercising, scrapbooking, playing sports, hanging out with friends and family

Email: mja229 *at* psu.edu

Sarah Brunker

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Education: B.A., Chemistry, Secondary Education certification, writing minor, Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA)

Awards: MARM 2006 Graduate Research Poster Award-- Third Place (2006)
First Year Graduate Student Fellowship (2004-2005)

Research Area: 1) Designing Real Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT RT-PCR) bioassays utilizing barcoded nanowires to detect multiple pathogens. 2) Stamping (and hybridizing) DNA patterns onto substrates.

Hobbies: Reading, hiking, listening to live music, traveling, climbing, baking, writing, volunteering, teaching/tutoring

Email: seb317 *at* psu.edu

David Cacace

Hometown: Gulf Breeze, FL

Education: B.S., Chemistry, philosophy minor, University of North Florida (Jacksonville, FL)

Awards: Outstanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry, PSU Roberts fellowship (2007-2008)

Research Area: Bio-separation of synthetic cytoplasm

Hobbies: Gaming, reading, cooking, biking

Favorite Links: www.icanhascheezburger.com

Email: dnc135 *at* psu.edu

Kristin Cederquist (Quis)

Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Education: B.S., Chemistry, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)

Awards: PSU Roberts fellowship (2005-2006), Paul Berg Prize in Molecular Biology (2007), PSU Dalalian Fellowship (2008)

Research Area: My work involves pairing DNA molecular beacons with gold and silver barcoded nanowires for multiplexed, expeditious, specific detection of pathogenic DNA.  I am currently exploring the impact of design of molecular beacons, thermodynamics of target binding and beacon secondary structure, and DNA surface density upon the assay.

Hobbies: Horseback riding, drawing, traveling, video games, pool, cooking, needlepoint (embroidery, crewel, cross-stitch)

Favorite Links: www.phdcomics.com, www.iarelative.com

Email: kbc3 *at* psu.edu

Stacey Dean

Hometown: Middleburg Hts., OH (near Cleveland)

Education: B.A., Chemistry, The College of Wooster (Wooster, OH) --yay bagpipes!

Research Area: Synthesis of glass coated nanoparticles with varying functionalities for the development of biosensors.

Awards: PSU Roberts Fellowship (2005-2006), Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Fellowship (2006-2008)

Hobbies: Cooking, traveling, bad TV, Cleveland sports

Favorite Links: www.people.com, http://youtube.com/watch?v=hC8N9WywIqY

Email: sld964 *at* psu.edu

Lisa Dominak

Hometown: Parma, OH

Education: B.S., Chemistry and B.A., Criminal Justice,
Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea, OH)

Research Area: Encapsulation efficiency and dynamic microcompartmentation in giant lipid vesicles  

Awards: PSU Weyenberg Graduate Fellowship (2007), PSU Roberts Fellowship (2003)

Hobbies: Working out, reading, hiking, scrapbooking, following the Cleveland Indians and Browns, cooking, fantasy sports, visiting friends and family

Email: lmd284 *at* psu.edu

Jackie Keighron

Hometown: East Meadow, NY

Education: B.S., Biology and Chemistry, Moravian College (Bethlehem, PA)

Research Area: I am currently working on two projects: (1) the partitioning and activity of protein-enzyme conjugates in an aqueous two phase system encapsulated in a vesicle, (2) the kinetics of immobilized sequential enzyme reactions.

Hobbies: Hiking, listening to live music

Email: jdk301 *at* psu.edu

Rosie Molden

Hometown: No hometown, the last two places I lived were Northfield, MN and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Education: B.A. Chemistry, Carleton College (Northfield, MN)

Awards: PSU Roberts fellowship (2007-2008)

Research Area: Partitioning RNA in aqueous two phase systems.

Hobbies: Cooking, painting, hiking and reading

Email: rcm224 *at* psu.edu

Tom Morrow

Hometown: Irvine, CA

Education: B.S., Chemistry, University of Maryland College Park

Research Area: Developing fabrication methods for chip-based biosensors

Hobbies: following Penn State football, poker, reading, bike riding

Email: tjm344 *at* psu.edu

Benjamin David Smith

Hometown: Waunakee, WI

Education: B.A., Chemistry, Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

Awards: Northeast WI ACS Outstanding Senior Award in Chemistry, PSU Roberts Fellowship (2007-2008), PSU Incoming Class New Graduate Student Award (2008)

Research Area: Investigations of the self- and controlled assembly of
functionalized and/or multicomponent nanowires with the end goal of
producing improved electronic devices.

Email: bds255 *at* psu.edu

Daniel Dewey- Graduate Student, Weiss Group

Hometown: New Freedom, PA

Education: B.S., Chemistry, York College of Pennsylvania

Research Area: 1) Analysis of self-assembled monolayers with custom scanning tunneling microscopy. 2) Soft-lithographic patterning and hybridization of DNA on substrates.

Hobbies: Ultimate frisbee, cutlery maintenance, cooking, painting, biking

Favorite Links: http://nano.psu.edu

Email: dcd162 *at* psu.edu

Nate Siegfried - Graduate Student, Bevilacqua Group

Hometown: Northampton, PA

Education: B.S., Chemistry, Moravian College

Research Area: I focus on the thermodynamics of nucleic acid folding; in particular I study the linkage between nucleic acid folding and corresponding changes in nucleobase properties (such as pKa shifts). The main techniques I use are nuclear magnetic resonance, UV monitored thermal denaturation, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopies. I intend to utilize isothermal titration and differential scanning calorimetries as well.

Hobbies: Reading, weight training, old school video games

Favorite Links: http://www.nytimes.com/, http://politicalcompass.org/, http://mfold.bioinfo.rpi.edu/

Email: nas216 *at* psu.edu

Matthew L. Borgia - BBSI, Penn State University

Hometown: Bethlehem, PA

Major: Mathematics and Medical Physics

Research Area: Concentration optimization of barcode nanowires coupled to molecular beacons for multiplexed bioassays.

Hobbies: Anime, videogames, snowboarding, plays, chocolate, reading, oldies music, camping and rollerblading

Favorite Links: http://www.pandora.com/, http://narutoengdub.co.nr/, http://www.freerice.com/

Erica Gundermann

Hometown: Hershey, PA

Major: Biology

Research Area: Improvement of Giant Vesicle encapsulation and aqueous two phase system partitioning

Hobbies: Dancing, soccer and playing guitar

Justin Minnion

Hometown: Perkasie, PA

Major: Chemical Engineering

Research Area: Improving nanowire fabrication techniques

Hobbies: Running, cooking, computers, reading, playing guitar

Favorite Links: www.slashdot.org