PEOPLE

Margaret Stratton, Principal Investigator

Department of Biochemistry, Associate Professor
mstratton@umass.edu
LGRT 1226
(413) 545-0631

PhD (PI: Stewart Loh) SUNY Upstate Medical University

Post Doc (Jane Coffin Childs Fellow, PI: John Kuriyan) UC Berkeley

Most Memorable Dream
I was on this road trip with my cousin, which was some kind of organized group. When we arrived at the first stop and everyone got off the bus and went into the hotel, I realized that one of the DC snipers was leading this trip. At each stop, we all had to hide and try not to be shot… this is probably the scariest/most memorable dream I’ve had.

Swarley Stratton, Principal Snuggler and Ball Fetcher

Graduate Research Fellows:

Nidhi Thaker

nthaker@umass.edu

B.S. Biotechnology and Biochemistry at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

M.S. Biotechnology at Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Most Memorable Dream:
I wake up after a stormy night and realize that the building we live in is some deep waters. When I look for ways to get out I realize that we have huge crocodiles in the water and I am the only who can possibly swim, avoid them and get on other end to get some help. So now it is up to me to do that and save everyone else. I always wake up right before when I am about to start swimming…

Bao Nguyen

vietchibaong@umass.edu

B.S. Biochemistry at Plymouth State University

Most Memorable Dream:
The best dream I remember was the one I was flying. I could feel the wind and the resistance of the air throughout my body, and my head felt super light. I was flying over my hometown and saw the aerial view of it. It was such a weird dream.

Ruth Adafia

radafia@umass.edu

BSc in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology

Most Memorable Dream:

When I was about 10 years old, I dreamt that I was stabbed in the stomach with a red bread knife….I woke up terrified and feeling pain in my stomach.

Oguz Can Koc

okoc@umass.edu

B.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey

M.Sc. in Molecular Biology at IMPRS - University of Goettingen, Germany

Most Memorable Dream:

I have a reocurring dream where I am running in an open field. At one point I jump, which accidentally sends me flying into the sky. There is nothing I can do to stop ascending higher up. Moments later, gravity gets the upper hand and pulls me back towards the Earth. I always wake up the moment I was supposed to hit the ground.

Jamie Northup

jnorthup@umass.edu

Bachelor of Arts in Biology - Pine Manor College 2015

Post Baccalaureate Fellowship - New England Biolabs 2018

Most Memorable Dream:

My most memorable dream was at a sleepover during my senior year of high school with my friends. I had a dream we were fighting intelligent wasps who built mechs human-sized to fight us and were shooting electric bolts that could shock you like a taser. I was thrown into an arena to fight this massive army and my friends refused to help and told me only I could fight because I was the *champion*. I spent the entire dream yelling at them to help while running around the arena. And fighting with them that the *champion* thing is ridiculous and if they don’t come down here I’ll show them *champion*. I woke up fuming giving them side eye all morning. Still mad about that dream to this day.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Laura Jansen

lajansen@umass.edu

Major: Biochemistry and Psychology - Neuroscience Track

Most Memorable Dream:

My most memorable dream is from when I was younger. I was falling backward down a large dark hole in the ground and then I jolted awake right before I hit the bottom.

Saketh Sankara

ssankara@umass.edu

Major: Biochemistry and Microbiology Minor: Business

Most Memorable Memory:

One of my favorite childhood memories is going fishing for the first time in Minnesota and being really excited to catch something but ended up getting nothing after hours so we went to get ice cream instead to make up for it!

Jacob Scholl

Jscholl@umass.edu

Majors: Biochemistry and Public Health

Most Memorable Dream:

My most vivid dream took place around the 6th grade. In my dream, I was at an overnight camp on the water with two of my best friends. The camp was attacked by giant humanoid robots that were hundreds of feet tall. I remember I was standing on the beach, and when I looked at the camp, there were robots swarming all over it. Then one of the robots chased my friends and myself off the beach into the woods.

Abhay Yajurvedi

ayajurvedi@umass.edu

Majors: Biochemistry and Psychology - Neuroscience Track

Most Memorable Dream:

I was in my living room watching Minions when my mom ran downstairs to tell me I needed to go to school for math class. It was the evening but I ended up going anyway. Once I arrived, it turned out I was lied to, and when I was leaving, a huge wave submerged me in the parking lot. No matter how hard I swam, I would stay stuck to the bottom. Once I couldn't breathe anymore, I woke up and realized I was in fact still alive.

Brooke Abouhamad

babouhamad@umass.edu

Majors: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & Neuroscience

Most Memorable Dream:

I had gotten the opportunity to go to the olympics for volleyball, the sport I had been playing at the time. After I competed I had received a gold medal from my two favorite volleyball players, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, it was awesome!

Lab Alumni:

Ian Merski

Ian is going on to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry at the The University of Utah.

Annie Gardella

Annie has started working as a Research Associate at Visterra Inc.

Alfred Samkutty

Alfred is staying at UMass to pursue a Master’s degree in biotechnology.

Alexandra Hommer

Allie is going on to pursue a dual Vet and PhD degree at Cornell University.

Rachel Bates

Rachel has started working as a Research Associate at Jnana Therapeutics.

Nicholas Santos

Nick has started working as an Assoicate Scientist at Sanofi Genzyme.

Christina Hacker

Christina returned back to her home University in Heidelberg, Germany to finish her Masters Program.

Emily Lapinskas

Emily has started working as a Medical Research Coordinator at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Jack Weeks

Jack is currently attending medical school at St. Louis University School of Medicine.

Megan West

mcwest@admin.umass.edu

Megan is currently the director of administration and outreach in the UMass BMB department.

Nicole Gousy

Nicole has returned to Baypath University pursuing a pre-medical degree in neuroscience.

Christopher Hardy

Natascha Baeuerle

Natascha has returned to her home university, the University of Freiburg.

Brendan Page

Brendan attended medical school at Wayne State University School of Medicine and is currently doing his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Orlando Health Orthopedics.