Team:Stony Brook/Attributionz
Attributions
Our Advisors
Faculty Advisers
Kevin Czaplinski, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Faculty Profile
Yizhi Meng, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Faculty ProfileUndergraduate Advisers
Janki Patel
"Hi! My name is Janki; I’m a junior pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry, minor in chemistry at Stony Brook University. My involvement with iGEM began almost two years ago as a team member of Stony Brook’s first iGEM team, and continued this year as an undergraduate advisor for the team. As it was my first research experience, I was intrigued to learn how creative science could really be, especially with the way humans can engineer biological systems to allow them to perform a brand new function. After having experienced research for two years, I learned that science was the field that I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. Combining my research experiences with my clinical experiences as a volunteer in the children’s playroom at Stony Brook University Hospital, I am inspired to continue these passions with both research and a career in pediatric neurology. As I embark on this long journey of schooling, I absolutely intend to continue contributing to my community in terms of research, volunteering, and mentoring other students."
Janki was a huge part of our team this year, and was our main correspondent for advice. Whenever there was something we needed to know, we went to Janki. We were lucky enough that Janki was on campus this summer researching, and she had some free time to swing by our lab now and again to answer our questions and quell our confusions. She used her experience from being on the team last year to help troubleshoot our protocols, as well as get in touch with the professor and faculty around us. Janki was a crucial support during our research this summer, not to mention her contributions and organizing during the spring semester and start of the fall semester.
Nicolai Alexandre Aquino Tayco
Nicolai Alexandre Aquino Tyco, aka Nic, was a great help to our team this year. In the spring semester, Nic, along with everyone else, was able to help keep us on track and help us develop our idea. For the first half of the summer, he was abroad and couldn't help us in person. However, he had left us plenty of information about making media, and other protocols that helped us figure out where to start. Thanks to Nic we also learned to keep a spreadsheet available of our inventory, to avoid losing time due to lack of reagents. At the end of the summer, he also helped us figure out a lot of iGEM specific information and helped guide us to the jamboree.
Gurkamal Kaur
"Hi! I’m Gurkamal, but most people call me Kamal! I am currently a senior at SBU, majoring in Biology and specializing in Developmental Genetics. While I do wish to attend medical school and continue research in the near future, my path to this academic plan was certainly not straight. When I was still short enough to sneak under the MTA subway turnstiles, my dream was to be a full time mermaid when I grew up. (A result of religiously watching The Little Mermaid everyday) Soon enough, my dream was not only crushed by the realization that I cannot swim, but the poor job output of course! I will not further embarrass myself by listing the rest of the jobs I aspired to have, but I will share how I came to realize my passion for charity work and the medical field.
Almost ten years ago, I was on a family trip to India, where I visited orphanages for disabled and sick children. It was there when I realized that people yearn for things I take for granted everyday, especially healthcare. This experience sparked my curiosity in the health field and soon enough it cemented my drive to truly immerse myself in the world of science and all that it can do to help others. Besides working towards this goal, I keep myself busy with plenty of other hobbies and activities such as traveling, volleyball, and volunteer work! Most of all, I love spending time with family, friends, and of course my dog, Oreo!"
Kamal was also a great help in developing our ideas into a project. Kamal, along with the others, helped us search for current issues and new solutions to those issues. She helped our ideas grow, and got us on the right track for solidifying our project idea. In addition, she was able to come into our lab over the summer and answer questions we had about both wetlab and iGEM in general. Kamal was a key adviser this summer, and helped us make the project what it is.
Helen Liu
Helen helped organize meetings and keep things running smoothly at the start of our journey. She kept us in the loop about possibly opportunities for telling people about iGEM as well as fundraising. She made sure we were doing what we had to do each week in order to get a good start this summer. Helen was instrumental in helping our team organize themselves and prepare for a summer of incredible research.
