Stephanie Ferrone

What school are you currently attending?	University of Maryland, Baltimore County
What year will you be starting in the fall?	Senior
Why did you choose to attend the SENSORS program?	The SENSORS program offers a chance to do lab work with broader applications, which is an appealing combination. Additionally, the experience offered by the SENSORS program furthers my research into what type of lab work I would like to participate in post-graduation.
Who are you working with, and what research are you doing?	I am working in Dr. Brad Layton’s lab on a project involving microtubules and tubulin. I am continuing past research involving computer simulations of applications of tension and compression to chains of amino acids with the ultimate goal of determining the elasticity of each amino acid. This will be used to examine possible modification of tubulin and microtubules to increase elasticity, which is important due to the important role microtubules play in mitosis. I am also analyzing previously obtained data regarding the elasticity of various types of tubulin to see if there is a link between evolutionary status of an organism and the elastic modulus of its tubulin. Finally, I will be examining the elastic properties of tubulin in an in vitro setting to observe if in vitro results mirror the results predicted by computer simulations.
What are your goals/aspirations for the future?	After graduation, I am planning on finding work in a lab with the goal of finding a more specific research area about which I am passionate. The central idea of the SENSORS program, to integrate lab science with broader external applications, is one that I find motivating and will use in my pursuit of future work.