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.

Graduate Research Fellows:

Nidhi Thaker

nthaker@umass.edu

5th Year PhD. Student

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 one who can swim, avoid them, and get on the 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 I start swimming…

Bao Nguyen

vietchibaong@umass.edu

5th Year PhD. Student

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 an aerial view of it. It was such a weird dream.

Ruth Adafia

radafia@umass.edu

3rd Year PhD. Student

BSc in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology at University of Ghana

Most Memorable Dream

When I was about 10 years old, I had a vivid and terrifying dream that has stayed with me. In the dream, someone appeared out of nowhere, holding a red bread knife just like the one in our kitchen. Before I could react, they stabbed me in the stomach. The pain was so intense that it woke me up in terror, and even after realizing it was just a dream, I could still feel the pain in my stomach. The experience left me deeply unsettled, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Oguz Koc

okoc@umass.edu

3rd Year PhD. Student

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 recurring 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 at the moment right before I am supposed to hit the ground.

Jamie Northup

jnorthup@umass.edu

3rd Year PhD. Student

Bachelor of Arts in Biology - Pine Manor College 2015

Post Baccalaureate Fellowship - New England Biolabs 2018

Most Memorable Dream

I was at a sleepover during my senior year of high school. I had a dream we were fighting intelligent wasps who built human-sized mechs to fight us. 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. Still mad about that dream today.

Nicole Houppermans

nhouppermans@umass.edu

2nd Year PhD. Student

B.S. Biochemistry at the University of Washington

Most Memorable Dream

When I was four years old, I had a dream that Clifford from "Clifford the Big Red Dog" was destroying my preschool. I remember the roof and walls crashing down as kids ran away in terror. I think the dog ended up crushing me at the end. Very scary for a four-year-old.

Lauren Sweeney
lksweeney@umass.edu

1st Year PhD. Student

B.S. in Biology at Quinnipiac University

M.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Quinnipiac University

Most Memorable Dream

I have a reoccurring dream that I am out on a boat with my friends, enjoying a day at the beach. We all decide that it's a good time to swim to the sandbar that is close by. All of my friends go before me, and when it's my turn to jump in, hundreds of sharks show up out of nowhere as I am in midair. I land in the water and try to fight off all the sharks under the water and always wake up before I get back to the surface.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Laura Jansen

lajansen@umass.edu

Senior Undergraduate RA

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.

Jake Scholl

jscholl@umass.edu

Senior Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Public Health

Most Memorable Dream

My most vivid dream was when I was at an overnight camp on the water when the camp was attacked by giant humanoid robots, hundreds of feet tall. I remember I was standing on the beach, swarmed by robots overhead.

Abhay Yajurvedi

ayajurvedi@umass.edu

Junior Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Psychology - Neuroscience Track

Most Memorable Dream

I was in my living room watching the Minions when a huge wave submerged me. No matter how hard I swam, I would stay stuck to the bottom slowly watching the room fill with water. Once I couldn't breathe anymore, I was jolted awake.

Cole Haag

chaag@umass.edu

Junior Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Most Memorable Dream

I was running from some mobsters on a long pier and managed to hide in a boat beneath its cover. I could hear the men approaching, and just as they lifted the cover, I woke up.

Keller Dorgan

kmdorgan@umass.edu

Junior Undergraduate RA

Major: Psychology (Neuro) Minor: Biochemistry

Most Memorable Dream

When I was a kid I had a recurring dream in which I was encased in a shell of rock in front of my elementary school class. All my friends and family had to break me out while the entire class just watched.

Emma Taylor

etaylor@umass.edu

Sophomore Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Psychology - Neuroscience Track

Most Memorable Dream

My most memorable dream occurred multiple times when I was a kid. I was in my backyard and there was a giant wasp in front of me, the size of a tree. There were also a bunch of normal wasps around it that were chasing me and about to sting me, but I always woke up right before I actually got stung.

Julia Kuang

juliakuang@umass.edu

Sophomore Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Psychology - Neuroscience Track

Most Memorable Dream

Once in high school, I dreamed that I was flying all around the world and landing in random places trying to get away from a giant flying robot eye that made a horrible whirring and clicking noise. It followed me all the way back home, and right as it descended in front of my bedroom window, I woke up.

Ariella Weihs

aweihs@umass.edu

Freshman Undergraduate RA

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Most Memorable Dream

My most memorable dream repeated itself multiple times when I was a kid. I was enclosed in a small square box that was rotating around me, but I was way too big for the square and it trapped me inside!