Team:Georgia State/Team/members

Bobby Capps

I transferred from Oglethorpe University in 2011 as an English major and switched to Computer Science when I arrived at GSU. I am now a Neuroscience major and joined IGEM this spring to get some research experience. Since then I have been building this lovely website and keeping mealworms and fish. I hope to graduate within the next year and enroll in a graduate program for computational neuroethology.

Tyrel Heckendorf

Tyrel enjoys sitting and staring at colors. There is controversy as to his exact origins, yet it is rumored by scholars that he comes from ancient Sumer. His age is unknown. He spends most of his time researching the paranormal, from aliens to psychic phenomenon, though it is known that some days he can be found in a tree or under a bridge. His favorite animal is his pet Chimera, but gets annoyed at the amount of human sacrifices it needs. Majoring in physics with a concentration in biophysics, he hopes to follow his idol Dr. Frankenstein.

Reza Alavi

My goal is to get into medical school after finishing my BS in biology. I am the current member and officer of American Medical Student Association at Georgia State University (AMSA GSU) and also member of Tri-Beta Honor society. Some of the main activates I have done are shadowing Emory Orthopedics department’s surgery supervised by Dr. Moore and volunteer at Grady Hospital. My passion to human study and nature of living cells made me to choose biology as my undergraduate major. I have been fortunate to participate in the iGEM research project supervised by Dr. Brewer at Georgia State University.

Dafna Lapidot

My name is Dafna and I am a psychology major and chemistry minor. I am a senior, and am applying for medical schools. My ultimate goal is to become a neurologist. Originally I am from Israel, but have been living in the United States for almost ten years. I served in the Israeli Defense Forces for two years following my high school graduation. I have been part of the iGEM lab since last summer (June 2012). My main focus is the research side of the project, however, occasionally I do some wet lab work.

Alisha Morgan

Hello everyone, my name is Alisha Morgan and I am a biology major. Call me crazy but I LOVE it. I have a guinea pig named Leo and all he does is squeal for his veggies or hay. I'm a huge NY Giants fan but can't get enough of high heels. Anywho, once I'm completely done with school I plan on becoming an OB/GYN. I've been dreaming about this since I could remember and I know that God makes all things possible.

Blake Cherney

My name is Blake Cherney and I joined the Igem lab last semester as an undergraduate student. I hope to start my masters degree this upcoming fall. I will be concentrating on applied environmental microbiology as well as working on a project investigating the symbiotic relationship between Acanthamoeba castellanii and other organisms.

Merhawi Yigzaw

This sovereign leader of our lab, he has survived everything from the common cold to usurpation. An Adonis of a man, it was once said that while he was sailing around the world, he found a shortcut. He has also killed two stones with one bird. Our fearless leader has established a new golden age for synthetic biology through increased funds and an increase in new members. A member of the legendary Chicken & Wiffles competitive wiffle ball team, he once threw a perfect game and hit for the cycle in the same game. Having him in our lab has not only been an honor but our extreme pleasure. Although time waits for no one, it seems to wait for him. His last year with the iGEM team, he will be sorely missed.

Lydia Studdard

I am a senior biology major and am currently applying to Ph.D. programs in microbiology and immunology. I am specifically interested in studying viruses and their pathenogenesis. After graduate school, I hope to continue doing research while teaching at the collegiate level. The research experience I have gained from iGEM has substantiated my desire to ‘boldly go where no one has gone before’ in the magical world of microorganisms. In addition to my love for biology, I am also a voracious reader of classical mysteries. I am proud to have read every Agatha Christie novel as well as her autobiography.

Nouman Tanveer

In the spring of 1991, a baby was born in the mountains of Punjab, Pakistan. Named Nouman Tanveer by his grandfather; Nouman started going to school when he was only three years old. His mother saw his future when he came 1st in third grade. She was a highly educated, brilliant woman who started teaching Nouman the rules of algebra, physics and biology when he was only 8 years old. In grade 10 he set the record for highest marks in board exams in his district and came to U.S to study medicine and become an Invasive Cardiovascular Surgeon. He is finishing his B.Sc. in Biology at Georgia State University this year and plans on going to Georgetown School of Medicine next year.

Kristin VanMouwerik

Kristin is currently taking Chemistry and Biology classes at Georgia State University with the hopes of getting into Pharmaceutical Research and Development. She enjoys working in the labs and spends more time there than anywhere else on campus. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Guilford College but a tragic accident involving her partner caused her to reevaluate her goals and ambitions. While spending three gruesome days and nights by his hospital bedside, she decided that a career in medicine would allow her to directly improve the lives of more people than music.