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From 2013hs.igem.org

Team

We have a great team this year!

Students

Alec Adams

Alec Adams, being the knock out mouse king and all, is simply put, an awesome scientist. His home high school is Blue Valley West and when the afternoon rolls around he heads to the Center for Advance Professional Studies. Alec is deeply intrigued with the application of biological processes to human health and studies epigenetics, regenerative medicines, and genetically modified organisms. He is willing to sacrifice sleep to listen to professional scientific lectures, understand complicated physiological processes, and understand intricate protein structures down to the molecular level of biology. When he doesn't work, he listens to music, writes poetry, or expands upon his understanding of biology by looking up proteins and their functions, for fun of course.

Corinne Andersen
Corinne Andresen decided to explore a long-standing interest in genetics when she joined CAPS in 2012. She participated at the ASMB conference in 2012 and 2013 and spent the summer of 2012 studying E. coli genetics at Missouri Western State University under Dr. Todd Eckdahl. When she’s not doing science or studying to prepare for a career in biomedical engineering, she enjoys running ridiculously long distances and playing a ridiculously large instrument.

Muriel Eaton
Muriel fell in love with science through Science Olympiad. When not doing science, Muriel is thinking about science, but she also enjoys tearing up the floor with her expert DDR moves, dressing up her cat, reading of the marvels of chaperone proteins, cruising in her Camaro, and watching the exploits of NCC-1701. Her motto is "if you can't change it, don't complain."

Dylan Geick
Dylan graduated Blue Valley West this May, but is more than willing to spend his summer doing science. He plans to attend Baker University as a pre-med major in the fall. His time is spent driving his cherry red Mustang to his numerous tennis meets, which frequently wins. Anyone can tell by his taste in Nike shoes that he is a very classy man. Dylan has been working on cancerous islet cells as a side project. It was his initial idea to pursue a biofuel project for iGEM.

Austin Jacobson
Dedicated, creative, and diverse, Austin is a major asset to our team. He is proficient in the lab and equally comfortable with computers. This proud, part-time homeschooler listens to Queen by day, Usher by night, with some T-Swift every now and then due to his inner Kansan (classical is reserved for homework time, of course). Thank Austin for gracing us with this wonderful website.

Amy McClain
Amy McClain is a student at Blue Valley High School and the Center for Advanced Professional Studies. She has always found an interest in learning the molecular aspects of life as well as life at the macro level. Throughout high school, Amy performs on the Blue Valley dance team at band competitions, dance competitions, school assemblies, and spring shows. She also participates in the Blue Valley track and field where she competes in pole vault and sprints. Outside of school activities, Amy continues her dancing through a competitive dance company, and she twirls with another competitive team. She enjoys spending time with friends and being active outside in the sun.

Mason Wilkinson
I will be a senior next year and I have a love for molecular biology. I especially enjoy modeling learning about different proteins because it shows me how life works on a such a small scale. This is the first time I have participated in iGEM, but I am sure that it will not be the last. I aspire to go to college somewhere on the east coast where I can work in a lab when I'm not in class. I want to have a future in biological research, and hopefully I can discover something that will help a lot of people. Outside of school, I am a very involved thespian. You can usually find me rehearsing for a play, playing video games, or listening to music.

Mentors

Eric Kessler
Mr. Kessler teaches ecological and molecular biology at CAPS.

Joseph Whalen
Mr. Whalen teaches Bioscience Research and Foundations of Medicine at CAPS.

Kelly Tuel
Mrs. Tuel is an anatomy student that mentors at CAPS. She specializes in halobacteria.

Aron Fenton
Dr. Fenton researches cyanobacteria at the University of Kansas Medical Center.