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Team:Cornell/team/bios
From 2013.igem.org
Team Members
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 typeHannah 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!""
Eric Appel
Eric is the enigmatic mastermind of our team. His quiet, devious intrigues behind the scenes ensure the team’s success at every endeavor. The moment he begins to fade from thought, he returns with divine vigor and grants the team the strength and resolve to confront the treacherous perils of necrotizing fungi and ethidium bromide. You can rest easy around Eric, confident that he has 23 years of experience, the master plan to the universe and your current home address. Don’t let his bright, jovial countenance fool you; Eric is the true power that will bring about our iGEM dominance.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
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...
Alex Han
Alex Han is CUGEM’s secret weapon. He can whip up anything from multiple Asiago cheese dishes to fungi models with his mastery of statistics! He has travelled all over the world, from studying abroad in Denmark (learning the language and even more wonderful recipes!) to representing Cornell in Turkey! He’s a savior of the wet lab, “borrowing” equipment from elsewhere for us all. Also a jokester, he does not hesitate toEric 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.
Danielle Huang
Her second consecutive year in iGEM, Danielle has proven time and again that she's invaluable to the world of Biological Engineering. When she's not sitting in one of the many classes she's taking, you'll find her conducting complicated experiments in the lab. Already outclassing the Cornell biology labs by her junior year, Danielle spent 8 months doing an Engineering Co-Op at Johnson & Johnson as well as Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, assisting in process development and antibody therapeutics analysis. Danielle is the person you want to bring with you on a nighttime walk; she will enlighten you about the stars and constellations, in addition to being a great person to hang out with. She is one of our team's highest commodities, being in demand by everyone all the time.Daniel Leach
His stare is the most efficient selection marker. To transform, bacteria just ask him for plasmids. His pipetting thumb alone has made more progress than lesser scientists’ entire bodies. He doesn’t worry about being sterile; other organisms avoid his work out of respect. The parts registry accepted his genome as a standard part. He once failed a procedure, just to see how it feels. His scent grows E. coli faster than LB. He is the most interesting iGEM competitor in the world. “I don’t always create new plasmids, but when I do, I prefer Biobricks."
Rafael Lizarralde
Rafael is a member of the latest generation of ninjas, and spends the majority of his time battling creatures from the seventh dimension. Not only has he mastered the art of dandelion decapitation, he also recently learned how to call forth the power of the heavens after many long hours studying rain dance simulations.His interactions with other dimensions have left him with an uncanny knack for engineering. Some of his latest creations include the mobius bagel and a controller eerily reminiscent of the iPhone 5, but so dangerous that he won't let lesser mortals even approach the device. Any ideas about what exactly this controller does are mere speculation; however, since its invention Rafael seems to have developed an unhealthy obsession with spirals, and can occasionally be found talking to snails.
When not trying to save the world from impending doom, Rafael enjoys cuddling with his favorite glow-in-the-dark purple cuttlefish, crushing defenseless plushie Totoros, and tormenting young iGEMers with a gaze that makes even E. coli scream (research pending on how this affects transformation efficiency).
Oat Luengvarinkul
Portrayed by actor Jesse Eisenberg in the upcoming 2014 film TSN, Episode II, Oat is a Thai architect/computer programmer and internet entrepeneur. The film's production studio offers a spoiler-removed description of his biography/ the movie's plot: ""Together with his college roommates, Oat launched social networking site ******** from Cornell's dormitory rooms to great success before introducing ******** onto other campuses nationwide and relocating ******** to Palo Alto, California. But his hearty ******** payday would come at a price. Mired in legal disputes, Oat soon discovered that many of those he had befriended on and off ******** during his rise to the top were eager to see him fall. As ex-friends engage Oat in the courtroom for ownership of ********, it appears that the young entrepreneur might have let ********-based greed eclipse his better judgment. Director David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) offers Oat's early life as an exploration into the meaning of success in the early 21st century from the perspectives of the innovative ******** founders who revolutionized the way we communicate."" Also, he dabbles in architecture. And Facebook.
Jeffrey Ly
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
Born in Calcutta, India, Ritvik Sarkar is a world renowned Poké-master, best known for conquering the Elite Four with a level-7 Charmander. Growing bored with his constant victories, he chose to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University. As a member of Cornell iGEM, Ritvik can hold his own in the machine shop, and has also been a valuable asset during outreach events. As a Taekwondo black belt, Ritvik is also indispensable at the perpetually rambunctious iGEM social events. Ritvik enjoys listening to music and playing the cello, for which he also composes pieces.
Mac Sennet
Mac came to CUGEM by an unidentified aircraft that was claimed by Ithaca’s gorges. In order to repair his ship and travel back to his own galaxy, Mac joined our team as the Dry Lab leader in order to have access to the machine shop, where he quickly displayed his other worldly skills. Although initially intent on repairing his aircraft and returning home, Mac changed his mind upon realizing how amazing synthetic biology was. When not leading the fabrication aspect of the project, Mac can be seen holding his own with the best of biologists. Despite his suboptimal pouring technique which he uses to discourage suspicion, many of us are convinced that Mac may be coercing his bacteria to follow his will with his supernatural powers. Once an intergalactic mercenary, Mac has continued his desire for excitement by moonlighting as Ithaca’s own superhero. When not saving freshman from ill-advised gorge jumping and the bipolar weather, Mac can be seen answering the prayers of his fellow iGEM members, once appearing out of nowhere to give his stranded members a ride, delivering his catch phrase, “come to daddy.” For the moment, Mac has decided to settle down in Ithaca to pursue his interests in neurobiology and biochemistry. For the sake of mankind, let’s hope he decides to stay here forever.Prashant Sharma
Here we have spotted the rare Prashant Sharma in his natural habitat. Known as Shawn by the natives of these bleached-white halls, this elusive species is most easily sighted when mingling with others of its kind. Unlike previously examined organisms, those of the Prashant genus are capable of an untroubled manner granting them a unique niche in this high-stress ecosystem. However, also characteristic of the Shawn is an innate sense of humor that both its prospective predators and prey find startling. While researchers continue to study this enigmatic creature, there is much debate over the ethics and legality of their use as laboratory assistants, despite their seeming acuity at it.
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!"Christine Soong
Christine is from Ohio. Enough said. But wait, there’s more… In the U.S. government’s time of need, they turned to Christine. She did not let them down. Reluctant to leave the iGEM team, but knowing that country comes first, Christine heroically chose to spend her summer at a top-secret military intelligence base. She masquerades as a summer intern at NASA, but in actuality she is a member of the CIA. Of course if you ask her she would deny it; that is the mark of a true CIA operative. Christine spends her days intercepting and decoding satellite communications from not-so-friendly nations, and has prevented two world wars to date. An electronics genius and computer whiz, Christine is extremely talented, but that is only evident through her work, she’s quite humble. An animal lover, she plans to own 101 dalmations after she graduates Cornell in under four years. When she's not working, Christine enjoys running, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. Just as she stepped in to save the U.S., she will return in the fall to make sure the CUGEM team is a success.
Olya Spassibojko
While many are left spinning like a centrifuge at 15,000rpm and scratching their heads as they attempt to follow our mycelium-like meetings where team members never fail to branch off each other’s ideas, Oyla calmly captures the pertinent points in her impeccably kept minutes. When not typing and uploading the team’s never ending stream of minutes, she can be found in the wetlab running PCRs and secretly wishing that the loading dye was a few shades lighter and turqoise in color just like everything else she owns. Have we mentioned that the “Bio-philic Oyla” absolutely adores her fluffy, hypoallergenic, turquoise kitty which listens to Anberlin too?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
Yoshi is the muse of our iGEM team. She comes in the early mornings to set up PCRs to prepare everyone else’s day in lab. Her awe-inspiring penmanship on primers and mini-preps brings clarity to our otherwise chaotic assembly of reagents. Faster than a green dinosaur or a trusty mid-sized automobile, Yoshi works with great diligence and grace, even when under pressure. When she is done for the day, she relaxes with some of the finer works of culture, such as her history readings or Japanese soap operas.
Manuel Valdez
"What major is Manny in?" "Mechanical engineering, obviously!" Sadly, that's not true. But everyone seems to think so. The reason for this misinformation is that Manny has drilled, cut, and threaded more steel barstock in the machine shop than anyone can comprehend. Manny is highly welcomed into his second year on the iGEM team, where he has free reign to construct any mechanical structures that he pleases. Any machine can be considered broken until Manny gets to it. So if you have anything that needs fixing, he can be reached at: 1-800-MAN-IGEM. By the way, Manny is a chemical engineer.Lydia Wang
Still using Snap Chat? That is going to be outdated soon for college students. Our electrical & computer engineering genius—Lydia—is working on developing super advanced mobile apps for the iPhone 11 that can literally read your mind and plan your life for the next 50 years (…or more). As a co-op in GE Intelligent Platforms in 2013, Lydia has already started her master plan. She joined iGEM in the spring of 2012 to gather information on what smart people in Cornell do in their daily lives for her project, but was disappointed to find that they are actually not robots, but a bunch of kids playing with bacteria and pipettes. So she decided to stay and help out with the Dry Lab, while secretly incorporating microcontrollers in whatever systems the team develops to monitor and control iGEMers, slowly turning them into real robots by the end of 2013. Even though a few people on the team know of her plan, they are more than happy to accept whatever Lydia put into the Dry Lab components because they make the systems work like magic. And ultimately, they accept the fact that they will become robots someday.
