Tag Archives: biology

#71: Bags of Chemistry with Amelie Andreas ’24, Biochem and Molecular Biology

Posted on by

Amelie started out in the biology department at Reed because she wanted to study bacteria and living things, but then she got a chance to start learning from the biochemists on the faculty. They helped her build the bridge from chemistry to life, which led her to switch her major from biology to biochemistry and molecular biology.

Amelie was also the second student producer for Burn Your Draft, working with us from 2021–22, and it was a delight to get to talk to her.

Reed community members can read Amelie’s thesis, “MntR: The Mastermind of Manganese Ion Homeostasis” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#67: Antimicrobial Innovation with Josie Bicknell ’24, Biology

Posted on by

Josie wrote a pharmaceutical development thesis about looking for a new way to develop antibiotics. She also tells us about her interest in biology and chemistry and looking for bridges between the disciplines, and how chemistry can be used to do things like examine snake poop to learn about snake evolution.

Reed community members can read Josie’s thesis, “A Codrug for Resistant Coinfection: The First Clinically Relevant Antimicrobial-Antiviral Ionic Cocrystal” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#36: Social Labs with Leila Shokat ’21, Anthropology

Posted on by

Leila spent a pandemic year remotely studying the members and activities of a lab that had quickly pivoted to study COVID-19 at the beginning the pandemic.

Reed community members can read Leila’s thesis, “In Our Hands: How Biologists Negotiate Unpredictability to Make and Share Knowledge,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#21: Micro to Macro with Mahalia Dryak ’20, Environmental Studies

Posted on by

Frank Tangherlini ’22 talks to Mahalia about her thesis on microplastics, macroinvertebrates, and fresh water river systems in the Pacific Northwest. Reed’s Environmental Studies program is an interdisciplinary major which requires students to select a focus in one of five disciplines: biology, chemistry, economics, history, or political science.

Reed community members can read Mahalia’s thesis, “The Ubiquitous Pollutant: Measuring microplastics and ecosystem health along the Clackamas River, OR,” online in the Electronic Theses Archive.

#18: Tiny Machines with Kate Stoll ’04, Biochem and Molecular Biology

Posted on by

Kate Stoll ’04 reflects on her thesis work on ScaR proteins with Arthur Glasfeld, Margret Geselbracht Professor of Chemistry, and her fascination with proteins, the “tiny machines that do all the work in your body.” This was Frank’s first interview for the podcast and took place in-person in January 2020. Kate’s thesis title: “The DNA and metal ion specificity of ScaR, the Streptococcal cell adhesion protein regulator of ‘S. gordonii.'”

#9: DNA Investigations of Tiny Crustaceans with Nick Thayer ’20, Biology

Posted on by

Learn a bit about genomic sequencing and annotation of Daphnia magna (water fleas) with Nick as he talks about finding his thesis topic and advisor, and how he switched directions after the pandemic shutdown interrupted his lab work.

Reed community members can read Nick’s thesis online in the Electronic Theses Archive.