Cell and Molecular Biology - Graduate Student Association

Today, we would like to introduce our student of the month: Katie Lee.

She is a third year PhD student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program, and her advisor is Dr. Douglas Rhoads in the Biological Sciences Department. Her research is focused on the genetic determinants of a disease called ascites that occurs in poultry species using chickens as our model. Specifically, she worked on a two-year project using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of interest, genotyping the existing breeder chickens at the research farm, selecting for two generations to ensure that all the offspring of the second generation had those SNPs, and then assessing the effect on ascites incidence as well as the growth of the bird. The goal of her work is to provide poultry industry geneticists with a method that can be used to reduce ascites incidence in flocks with minimal impact on production traits of economic value.

She has been the CEMB-GSA Treasurer for two years and have loved getting to know other CEMB students through it. She is also on the Graduate Dean’s Student Advisory Board as a representative of students in Interdisciplinary Studies, which has allowed her to be in meetings with high-ranking officials of the University and discuss the issues facing graduate students at the U of A.

Outside of academics, she loves being outdoors and active. She especially enjoys hiking, kayaking, hammocking, and bonfires. When she has spare time, she also enjoys just relaxing by watching movies with her husband Trevor, their two dogs (Lucas and Sadie), and thier cat (Gary). Her husband is also a graduate student, so finding time to slow down is nice.

For students considering graduate school, her biggest piece of advice is to blaze your own path, don’t feel like you’re tied down to one area of study, and be clear about what you want. Surround yourself with others who believe in you.

Her bachelor’s degree was in Biosystems Engineering. However, her path now is different as she found an advisor who saw her desire to learn and a strong work ethic rather than being overly concerned about the classes she took as an undergraduate. Recently, a guest in the GDSAB meeting said something that she wrote down and keep on her desk:

“If you want the moon, ask for the moon. No one will ever know that that’s where you’re going if you only ever ask for rocket fuel.”

Today is International Women’s Day and is a day to reflect upon the courage, determination, and achievements of women in many fields and to continue improving situations to create equitable societies around the world.

Today, We would like to introduce our student of the month: Jasleen Saini

Jasleen Saini is a Ph.D. candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology. She completed her B.S. and M.S. in Biotechnology from India and came to the United States for her doctoral study in 2017. She is working in Dr. Dan Lessner’s lab in the Department of Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms and factors involved in Fe-S cluster assembly in methanogen nitrogenases, as well as its properties. In the long term, this could lead to the optimization of nitrogenase-based biofuel (e.g. H2) production and the ability to transfer active nitrogenase to plants (e.g. cereals), thereby decreasing energy expenditures required for fertilizer production.

She is an officer of two registered student organizations on campus – the CEMB graduate student association and Health, Strength, and Wellness Association for Graduates at the University of Arkansas. She also participated in the Social Innovation Challenge 2020, and she has been recently selected for the “Startup Bootcamp 2021” offered by Future Founders, to instill a foundation of entrepreneurial skills.

Outside of academics, Jasleen is a huge supporter of health, wellness, and personal development. Her health and wellness journey started after she met a road accident in 2018 in which the vertebrae of her lower back got displaced. Not only did she overcome her injury through persistence and self-work but also realized the importance of good physical and mental health and made it her priority. Today, she loves running, long walks, hiking, and reading personal-development, self-help, business, and financing-related books. Some of her favorite books are The seven habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey, Atomic habits by James Clear and Breaking the habit of being yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

She is greatly inspired by the quote “Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation" – Man’s search for meaning by Victor Frankl