Lab Staff Bios
Forrest : I attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and majored in biology. During college I conducted research in an immunology lab and was a teacher’s assistant for the genetics course. During the summer before my senior year I conducted research at the Mayo Clinic through the Summer Mentored Undergraduate Research Fellowship. I am currently a student in the Integrated Biomedical Graduate Program at the Ohio State University college of Medicine, and I joined the Mason lab in May 2009. When not in lab I am an avid video game player and take art classes.
Catie : I graduated from Trinity College (Deerfield, IL) in 2008, majoring in Biology/Pre-med and plan to attend medical school, pursuing a career in community-based primary care in underserved regions. Antimicrobial peptides and the periodic table are two of my favorite things, but thinking about how research contributes to better medical outcomes is what I like the most. Outside the lab I enjoy music, swimming, and spending time with family and friends.
Sam : I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio where my interests from an early age, soccer and science, were able to thrive. I attended college at Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated in May 2009 with a double major in Microbiology and Genetics and a minor in Psychology. During my four years at OWU, I played soccer, joined the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and worked for the Office of Admission. In my junior year, I spent eight months living in Cork, Ireland through a study abroad program. I was able to travel to and experience multiple European countries during my time overseas.
Since graduation, I have joined Dr. Mason's lab and thoroughly enjoy the world of research! When I'm not in the lab, I am the Assistant Varsity Girls Soccer Coach at Thomas Worthington High School, my alma mater, and love discovering new things to do in and around Columbus!
Andrew : I was born in Chicago but moved to Columbus for elementary school and have been here ever since. I graduated from Bishop Watterson High School in 2007. While at Watterson I played JV and Varsity level tennis, was president of National Honor Society, and was an active volunteer at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Currently I attend John Carroll University where I intend to graduate in 2011 with a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology and minor in Spanish. At JCU I am the Scholarship Chairman for Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was a participant for a mission trip to Duran, Ecuador in May 2009.
After graduation I plan to apply to medical school but I have thoroughly enjoyed my time being a Research Aide in Dr. Mason’s lab for the summer of 2009. My project has been to study and characterize the contributions of the SapF protein in the Sap transporter of NTHi toward heme uptake and antimicrobial peptide resistance. Working here at the Research Institute has introduced me to the importance of research and how hard work in the lab can translate to more effective patient care. When outside of lab and class I enjoy reading about current events, watching movies with friends, and playing tennis.
Blake : I have had the fortune of living in Ohio my entire live, growing up in a suburb of Dayton. Staying true to my Buckeye nature I graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences from THE Ohio State University with a concentration in Microbiology. After graduation, I was given the opportunity to work in Dr. Mason’s lab where I became truly fascinated with science, in particular, biofilm formation and how this behavior dramatically changes so many different properties of the bacteria and how bacteria are coordinated, precise and efficient in everything they do. My projects in the lab included looking at the effects of heme starvation on biofilm formation by NTHI and the formation on filamentous morphologies during stressful conditions. My favorite aspect of science is that you get to look at any single problem from so many different perspectives, test your hypothesis in so many different ways, and then any results are valid and get you closer to the resolving the bigger picture even if they aren’t what you expected. I’m also particularly fond of working with nitric acid, the smells of mercaptoethanol and TEMED, and the spiffy white lab coat. Future plans are to get my M.S. in Anatomy at Wright State University then pursue a career in Emergency Medicine in the United States Airforce, and of course, cheer on the Buckeyes for life. GO BUCKS!
Kailey : I have lived in Gahanna, Ohio for my entire life. Theatre and soccer were my main interests while attending Gahanna Lincoln High School. Within the past few years I have gone on four mission trips to inner-city Pittsburgh. After graduating in May 2008 I moved to the wee-little town of Oxford, Ohio to attend Miami University. There I am in choir and a member of the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. If all goes as planned I will graduate in May 2012 with a B. A. in Zoology and continue quenching my thirst for science at medical school. My long term goal is to become a family physician.
Working in Dr. Kevin Mason’s lab has been an all-around enthralling experience. Research is exciting and connects to patient care, school, and life in general, despite others’ assumptions. I have enjoyed my time in this Ohio State-themed lab.
Yasmine : I was born in Lahore, Pakistan and moved to Dallas, Texas when I was a year and a half. After deciding the South wasn’t the place for us, my family moved to Columbus, Ohio where I finally started kindergarten. After graduating from Hilliard Davidson, I attended the University of Cincinnati, to only realize two years later, this just wasn’t the place for me. Once a buckeye always a buckeye! I transferred to THE Ohio State University and am doubling majoring in Biology and Health Information Management and Systems.
Working in Dr. Mason’s lab for the past year has been an amazing experience. I’ve been exposed to various techniques and been able to have a bit of an advantage when it came to taking my genetic class. When not in school or the lab I enjoy playing tennis, reading and playing video games!
