Team:Cornell/team/bios

Tim Abbot

Tim knows who you are. And he knows what you want. If you're looking to unravel the secrets of the antisense RNA strand, he will falsely say that he doesn't know, but what he does know is a particular set of skills. Skills acquired over a long career that make him very dangerous to cells, so that they cannot hide their classified intel from him. Recruited by the the iGEM intercellular coalition (in a microcosm far away) to prevent worldwide biological warfare and Malthusian catastrophe, secret agent TR Abbott is armed with the cunning and intellect that parallels the legendary 007 himself. In the shadowy dark of night, he scales the highest chitin walls, dodges laser detection beams and disables all nucleus security defenses to deftly reprogram all cell circuitry before you can type In the stark light of day, the dapper gentleman woos women with his brilliant smile and golden locks, bakes Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes and makes dirty dishes disappear. He struts not walks, he dodges and frolics, and all his bills are paid. He sleeps once a week, and when he does, it is in front of his computer. With his eyes open. He's Tim. Timothy Robert Abbott. And he is always watching. He will look for you, he will find you, and he will ki--

Hannah Ajmani

Affectionately nicknamed Hanana, she is best known as the Caucasian whose actually 100% Indian, the CTB addict, and the girl who managed to burn a microwavable brownie. She hails from Jersey, produces movies in Cali (watch Sharknado, it's so bad... it's good). And guys, she can rap. Seriously, isn't this girl cool?!! She's the last person you'd expect on Cornell iGEM, but the first person to lecture you on electroporation and/or inoculation if you ask. I think she has a secret liking for biology ...don't ask her though, she'll only deny it. When she isn't pretending to dislike biology, she puts on the most kick-ass outreach programs in iGEM history (...no offense Swati). Hannah is an amazing person be around. Her giggles sparkle, her smile is contagious, you can't help but love her. If you ever feel a little down, read one of her emails (seriously guys, read her emails) and you'll be sure to see her motto... ""Get excited people!""

Ryan Ashley

Ryan James Ashley, at first glance, seems to be a quiet, unassuming fellow. Often referred to as “the only one who’s actually working,” Ryan is known for his unwavering focus, matched only by his superhuman productivity. Little did we know, however, that Ryan had all of us fooled. Ryan is impervious to pain, insensitive to temperature fluctuations, and unlimited in his capacity for retaining knowledge. He had mastered every martial art form in the universe by his twelfth birthday. Since then, he has looked to dominating the dance floor. Having already prevailed over the more exotic varieties, he can now be found salsa-ing his way into onlookers’ hearts at every turn. In his spare time, he has been known to traipse about the Norwegian countryside with an army of mountain goats.

Nupur Bhatt

Standing in the purple light of the cave, something seems amiss. The beautifully morose bass music that drew you here, almost against your will, has faded to a single, wavering note in the darkness. A figure is approaching, a calm grin just visible atop her slight frame. Suddenly, you are afraid. You raise your longsword just as your vision succumbs to a fiery halo; then, you open your eyes groggily. A scene from Skyrim flickers from the screen on Nupur's Thinkpad; yet, during your nap, ninety-six minipreps were completed, the lab reorganized, and the wiki redesigned and updated. You grab a box of pipette tips to continue your mastermix, only to find an intricate design in the negative space. A calm grin rests on Nupur's face.

Arun Chakravorty

The ladies of iGEM once tried to expel Arun from the team for his distracting good looks. He simply winked at them [insert GIF here] and they changed their minds. Armed with his sparkling smile, baby soft cheeks, and boyish charm, Arun will melt your heart (and your agar plates). But don’t be fooled. This dastardly devil will always surprise you. One moment he’ll be asleep, the next he’ll be chair jousting. One minute he’ll be serenading you with sweet sounds from his scrumptious, supple lips; the next minute he’ll be rapping B.I.G. One day he’ll be clean shaven, ten years later, he’ll maybe have a five o’clock shadow. Despite these bipolar tendencies, two things remain constant in Arun’s life: he has a flair for dramatic pipetting and the ladies love him. But I beg you ladies, calm yourselves and heed my last warning: he will take your grandpa’s style; he will take your grandpa’s style. If you ever need it back, he will still be in Ithaca. But actually though.

Jonlin Chen

The Cornell iGEM team has a secret weapon. Her name: J-Chen. As a locally-grown, ‘hood-dwelling laboratory superhero, J-Chen skillfully navigates through the ins and outs of Ithaca in her Ganodermobile. Though seemingly unintimidating at first glance, beware: she can whip out her legendary ice cream maker at any given moment, and coat you in a lemony flavor of happiness so fast that you’ll forget what you were cloning. Not only is she powerful herself, her faithful minions, Solutions I, II, and III, are always within arms’ reach. Don’t dare question J-Chen’s seniority, either, or else she’ll hold your precious 97 cultures hostage, until you provide a box of those sacred yellow tips as ransom. And if there’s ever miniprepping to be done, don’t worry about it – J-Chen has already gotten started.

Rebecca Chew

"The one and only Rebecca Chew,
From wetlab to drylab, there's nothing this chemical engineer can't do.
Her efforts to build the team's fungal growth chamber are so great,
That our fungi will soon grow taller than the Empire State.
Outside of lab, Rebecca enjoys chocolate desserts and midnight strolls through the park,
And secretly wishes she was either Rihanna or a great white shark.
So here are a few last words for Rebecca Chew,
You are amazing, where would we be without you? "

Sharlene Dong

Before he was a serial killer, Jack the Ripper took notes from Sharlene Dong. Day in and day out, Sharlene does open-heart “surgeries” with mice but unfortunately has “accidents” with the scalpel in which she “accidentally” cuts the arteries of the mice’s hearts, leaving them to their untimely death. She also is suspiciously charming and invites the whole team to her house for large social events; one should always go with much trepidation and fear for getting stabbed in the back. Aside from her “research,” Sharlene also luvs Mudkips (but honestly, who doesn’t?). Finally, Sharlene also is living proof that last names aren’t given – they’re earned.

Sara Gregg

Sara is a fellow Clevelander who can aim for any goal like Hawkeye can hit all of his targets. One word, LEGENDARY. She has the endurance of a turtle but the speed of the rabbit to run for miles everywhere, beating all of us to Moosewood. Even more, she can consume a common frozen internationally famed desert faster than it takes for a sweetened, fluffy dairy solid to phase change into a pool of sticky coco-liquid. Looking past this girl's legendary fame, she's got a brightening smile which will command innocent looking mushrooms to transform into dangerous beautifully-colorful homes for the Smurfs. Watch out for this one...

Eric Holmes

Unlike most humans, Eric T.S. Holmes was born from an orange flower on the tallest branch of the great sequoia in Oregon. At the moment of his birth, lightning tore across the sky only to strike his fragile body. He then grew wings, slew a few dragons, and then decided he wanted to be an iGEM member. His full name, Eric Taylor Swift Holmes, warned his interviewers that he was trouble when he walked in. And yet, the iGEM gods smiled upon him in his most desperate hour, knowing that the female singer (who had been named in his honor) would be devastated by the grief of her beloved. A master of all knots and traps, he has since conquered every terrain in the universe, including the fiery depths of the autoclave room. He now looks to the vast waters of Cayuga Lake in search of a legendary fish, one that has only been spotted once, by him of course. He captured only a picture but now thirsts for the creature's carcass, to avenge his lost left wing. In obsession, he surrounds himself with images of the deadly beast, Arunicus chakravorticum. He hopes that with his newly honed abilities from being an iGEM wet lab minion, he will be able to take down the creature.

Rafael Lizarralde

Whee!

Jeffrey

From the moment Jeffrey was born, he knew he was destined to join the Cornell iGEM team. Two years later, he was successfully recruited. His youth isn't all drawback: his energy rivals that of his best friend and mentor, the energizer bunny, and it allows him to be more on top of things than most people. It has also earned him a place on the team as director of all things requiring enthusiasm. His other responsibilities include optimizing his teammates' vacation schedules and cheering up cells recovering from transformation. You may say he's a dreamer, but he is the only one. Isn't he cool?

Ritvik Sarkar

Mark Simpson

Knighted as “the God of Electrocompetent Stocks,” Mark has aroused a growing religion among iGEMers worshipping his ability to create infinite stocks with the bat of an eye. He has astounded his followers with his ability to eat red bell peppers raw and his Pillsbury doughboy impression will leave you giggling on the outside, but crying on the inside…out of happiness of course. After winging…I mean, graduating in 3 years, Mark acquired the nickname “Turbo!”, also reflecting his godliness in the lab. Mark is a valuable asset to our team, having trademarked several widely employed lab techniques such as hand centrifugation and mouth pressurized column chromatography. His sense of humor brightens the room, providing zesty comedic relief to our meetings. "Meeting adjourned!"

Tina Su

"TinamiSu

2 Whole Dill Pickles
A cup of oatmeal
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
3 thirds of a cup roasted chili pepper hummus
.786 baby carrots
A dollop of mayonnaise
1 aliquot of honey

Sweet, Delicious, and Expensive. TinamiSu is a must try. Although very sweet, it certainly doesn’t lack a bit of a kick. Acclaimed for its creamy texture, it is sure to get all your friends talking—maybe even a little too much. Regardless, TinamiSu is always tasteful and a fun dish. Served both hot or cold, you know you can turn to it on your happy days, your difficult days, or even your rainy days.
This dish is best consumed very slowly with a pipettor, because once TinamiSu is gone, you’ll crave it."

Swati Sureka

When we accepted her onto the team last year, Swati was an unassuming freshman. Little did we know she was a ticking time-bomb just waiting to go off. Her rapid rise to power makes perfect sense in retrospect: she is well-versed in four different martial arts and has received training from two separate intelligence agencies. She has no need for competent cells because she has developed her own martial art, clonejutsu, which allows her to punch, kick, or elbow DNA directly into the cells of any organism. She possesses great strength, cunning, and ruthlessness, and will be the most difficult adversary you ever face.

Yoshiko Toyoda