Skip to main content

Biology faculty and students attend American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting

Share on:

Posted on Thursday, April 21, 2022

Four Westminster College students and two faculty members recently attended the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) held April 2-5, 2022 in Philadelphia.

All four students presented their research alongside Dr. Karen Resendes, professor of biology and director of the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research, who also attended the conference.

The students and their research are as follows:

Nevan Schwab, a senior molecular biology and honors student from Beaver Falls, Pa.—"PCID2 Assists in the Nuclear Export of Nucleophosmin (NPM) in Hela Cells.” His research and conference attendance were supported by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research. Schwab was also awarded the 2022 ASBMB Student Chapter Travel Award.

Noah Pollio, a senior biology major and honors student from New Castle, Pa.—"PCID2 Facilitates the Nuclear Export, but Not the Centrosomal Localization, of BRCA2 in Hs578T Breast Cancer Cells.” Pollio was funded by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research and was also a Drinko Center Summer Research Fellow during the summer of 2021.

Emily LaMark, a senior molecular biology student from Canonsburg, Pa.—"5-Fluorouracil and Gemcitabine Alter Nuclear Transport.” LaMark was supported by Westminster’s National Science Foundation-funded Rural Discovery Scholars Program.

Emilee Spozarski, a senior individual interdisciplinary student from Pittsburgh—"STAT3 Nuclear Accumulation Due to Loss of Ranbp2 May Contribute to Pathogenesis of Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy.” Spozarski was also supported by the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research.

Also in attendance at the conference was Dr. Patrick Lackey, assistant professor of biochemistry and advisor to Westminster’s student ASBMB chapter. His research “Computational and Biophysical Analysis of RNA/Protein Complexes in Histone mRNA Degradation,” in collaboration with senior biochemistry major Nicole Mackenstein ’22 and Morgan Shine ’21, was selected for an oral presentation during a spotlight session on RNA binding proteins.

For more information on the biochemistry department, click here.