Team:Stony Brook/Team
Team
Stony Brook iGEM 2015
Meet the team!
Click a petri dish and then click on the beaker to pipette that team member and view their bio!
Andrew Kahnauth
Year:
JuniorMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
Chemistry and BusinessDescription:
In the future, I would like to attend medical school where I can strive for a career as a hematology-oncology pediatrician. During my life, many people in my family have suffered from cancer. I want to combine my experiences with cancer and my heart in helping children grab a second chance at achieving their goals. During my time here at Stony Brook, I want to increase the amount of research, volunteering, shadowing, etc. to maximize clinical exposure to broaden my spectrum in the field of medicine.Favorite Lab Moment:
My favorite lab moment is the time I accidentally broke Chris' water bottle.Ann Lin
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
Bioengineering and Political ScienceDescription:
As a child I loved putting together puzzles. My first encounter with the largest puzzle in the world, science, happened during third grade at a science fair. I realized at the time that science is not just a simple puzzle but a puzzle with many missing pieces. So I made it my goal, at that instance, to find as many of these missing pieces as possible in my lifetime. I wish to pursue an MD/PhD in neurobiology and aspire to become a neurosurgeon. So hello, my name is Ann Lin.Chris Giuliano
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
ChemistryDescription:
Hello; my name is Chris Giuliano and I am a sophomore Chemistry major. I’ve wanted to be a scientist for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would spend hours watching my grandpa perform magic tricks before my eyes; but I was never content with the visuals - I needed to know how the magic worked. I view science in the same way, and hope to earn a PhD in my path to peeking behind the magician’s curtain. My non-science interests include Art, especially drawing with pen and markers, reading, and spending too much time watching Netflix.Favorite Lab Moment:
The time Andrew shattered my water bottle by throwing it off the balcony on “accident.”Gregory Smith
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
EnglishDescription:
I might just be a typical Long Island kid who loves relaxing at the beach. Most summers I can be found in Montauk, Fire Island, Cupsogue, and some of the Babylon beaches. Just call me a beach aficionado. But this summer I can definitely say that my time has shifted from being a beach bum to being a pedant. Worry not, you didn’t misread. That means someone who pays attention to minor details. To be honest, I do love science. I’m amazed that the very atoms that compose our cells are the products of a dying star. When a star explodes, the hydrogen and helium fuse into heavier elements, like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen—the ingredients of life. And those products govern the behavior of our cellular processes. I think that’s incredible. In the future, I aspire to be a pediatric oncologist and also conduct cancer research. I guess you can say I’m pre-MD/PhD, if that exists. Until then, I can be found hanging out on campus, or maybe sneaking in a beach day.Favorite Lab Moment:
When our experiments actually worked.Jessica Willdigg
Year:
JuniorMajor:
BiologyMinor:
MusicDescription:
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be the first United States ambassador to Venus. But, because of the lag in space travel inovations, my dream will have to wait. In the meantime, I am pursuing some of my other passions such as nerobiology. I enjoy learning how small chemical imbalances in the brian create large disruptions in gross function and personality. My other hobbies include playing the violin, making discreet sarcastic remarks and drawing cartoon chickens (or do I…?)Favorite Lab Moment:
When I almost broke a pipetteKelly Eckartt
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
ChemistryDescription:
Hello! Like many of my team members, I really love science. I can remember starting to love science when my third grade class took a trip to the planetarium. My tiny self loved the whole experience while my best friend cried and ran to our teacher because she was afraid. As I have gotten older I can see that a space career is not in my future but research and medicine have taken over my interests. When I grow up I want to work in an oncology research lab finding causes and cures for the disease. When I am not loving science or studying I like to cook vegetarian food, hang out with my friends, listen to music, and play outside. Thank you for reading my bio!Favorite Lab Moment:
When I threw out our first ligation product after putting bleach in the tube because I thought it was left over cells… I’m still sorry.Max Lee
Year:
JuniorMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
Not about that minor lifeDescription:
Contrary to popular belief, my full first name is just Max. I enjoy a variety of things such as model building, tennis and golf, but my number one passion would probably have to be eating. Eating is an art and I really love sitting down and taking my time to enjoy a meal.In all seriousness, I really do love synthetic biology. The applications are endless and it can potentially solve our current world problems such as pollution, disease and provide renewable energy. If natural selection can achieve all of what is on Earth today, imagine what we can accomplish once we completely harness the power of genome manipulation. Like many of my teammates, I am on the pre-med grind and see myself continuing the struggle for the foreseeable future. This bio is getting long so I’ll cut it off here… if you’d like to know more, I take sandwich donations and I’d be happy to sit by a campfire and tell my life story.
Favorite Lab Moment:
When I walked into lab and there was cake waiting for me.Mirna Kheir
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
Biomedical EngineeringDescription:
I can’t describe who I am. I think that my education, my hobbies and my dreams are not enough to define me. But I hope that everything I do springs from the human in me.Favorite Quote:
I had the whole sky in my eyes and it was blue and gold. — Albert Camus
Philip Lee
Year:
JuniorMajor:
BiochemistryDescription:
I was born in Brooklyn and have never known anywhere else. You could say that I am the typical city kid. Being here on Long Island has been a huge shift in pace from the city and it definitely took some getting used to. Now that I have been in college for a few years I am beginning to enjoy the quiet, slow pace of Long Island. In the future, I want to go to medical school and become a doctor. While it isn’t easy, I enjoy the challenge and learning that happens in the classroom, in the lab, and in the hospital. I want to gain experience in the healthcare field to one day achieve my goal.Simon D'Oelsnitz
Year:
SeniorMajor:
PharmacologyMinor:
WritingDescription:
Born in the wild woods of upstate New York, my favorite thing to do is ruminate in nature. Add some interest in drugs and you get pharmacology. My favorite tree would probably be a cedar, because of its divine smell, but the balsam fir needle is much more proper in my opinion. I like to be spontaneous and am probably down for a bike ride at any time of the day.Favorite Lab Moment:
That time I made science happen.Thomas Stransky
Year:
JuniorMajor:
Biomedical EngineeringMinor:
None, but if I had more hours in the day, I'd minor in PhilosophyDescription:
Ever since I was young, I’ve been obsessed with deciphering the world’s mysteries. Why is that wall red but that one green? How do I know which way is up? Can entropy be reversed or is the heat death of the universe inevitable? You know, typical kid stuff. Either way, my natural curiosity has only grown as the apparent magic of the world has revealed itself to me. With each answer found, two new questions appear. This ever growing curiosity, combined with a knack for problem solving, has led me to where I am today. My plans for the future are just beginning to really take shape, but I know I want to continue on to grad school and work in bioengineering on a molecular level. I also hope to explore and experience the world, because out of an incredibly expansive universe, I have the unique opportunity to experience Earth. Relative to the size of the universe, not many sentient lifeforms can claim that!Favorite Lab Moment:
When I turned what would have been well over 50 lines of code into just 14 on this very page! So satisfyingKathryn Eckartt
Year:
SophomoreMajor:
BiochemistryMinor:
ChemistryDescription:
Hello, my name is Kathryn and I really love musical theater and interpretive dance. I hope to have a career on Broadway one day. Actually, that’s a lie. I just thought you might be bored of reading about how much everyone on this team loves science. Sorry to disappoint but, you guessed it, my passion is genetics as well. When I grow up I hope to be a genetic engineer or perhaps a synthetic biologist (iGEM wasn’t able to scare me off). I love taking my ideas and creating something tangible with them; specifically treatments for life-threatening diseases. While I do occupy most of my time with science, I also really enjoy doing yoga, watching horror movies, reading news articles, and being outside.Favorite Lab Moment:
When we started talking at lunch and not just smiling at each other.Matthew Nanos
Year:
SeniorMajor:
Biomedical EngineeringDescription:
I was born in and lived most of my life on eastern Long Island. I love the outdoors, including kayaking, swimming and dirtbiking. I’ve been an ocean lifeguard for 5 years. My real passion is learning. As odd as it is, I like spending many hours reading textbooks. I find the details of life, such as biochemistry and cell biology very interesting and revealing. I’ll be at Stony Brook for two more years to complete a masters in biomedical engineering, then I’m hoping to go to medical school.Favorite Lab Moment:
Watching movie trailers on the projector.Salwa Anam
Major:
Biomedical EngineeringDescription:
I have added a lot of different professions to my “What I want to be” list as I grew up. There was a time when I wanted to be an astronaut, there was a time when I wanted to be an architect. But becoming a surgeon was always destined to top that list eventually. I want to go to medical school after my graduation. In terms of research, I am interested in space life sciences, biorobotics, tissue engineering and genetic engineering. In future, I would like to continue doing research in one of my area of interests.I was born and raised in Bangladesh and came to United States at an age of 17. It was the beginning of a new and challenging chapter of my life. Photography is my hobby and I love to spend time in nature and admire its beauty. Other than that, I also enjoy traveling, playing badminton, sudoku, singing and most importantly, sleeping.
