Master of Biotechnology Program Ferment

SPRING 2016

MASTER OF BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FERMENT

MBP SPONSORS BIOTECHNOLOGY DAY 2016 IN THIS ISSUE BIOTECHNOLOGY DAY NEW CENTER FOR SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY S.T.E.A.M. PUNKS IT’S A NEW DAY FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS PLACEMENT NEWS GRADUATE RECEIVES NSF GRANT IT DOESN’T TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST SUMMER SITE VISIT SAN DIEGO BIOTECH EVENT CALENDAR There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere. SYNBIO RESEARCH Isaac Asimov CENTER

It was with enthusiasm, and an ear- Balancing panel discussions with Northwestern’s Center for Synthet- nest desire to educate that the fac- hands-on experiments, this fes- ic Biology draws from physics, en- ulty, staff, and students of both the tival of biological and chemical gineering, and computer science to Master of Biotechnology Program engineering brings seasoned pro- solve issues in cell-free systems, (MBP) and Biotechnology Train- fessionals in contact with young, mammalian systems, enabling ing Program (BTP) sponsored this plastic brains. technologies, ethics and societal year’s Biotechnology Day. Community science education impact. In conjunction with Northwestern’s groups (such as STEM Scouts and Three out of the six pioneering fac- Office of STEM Education Partner- the Dribbly Pear) tabled in our ex- ulty at the center also happen to ships (OSEP), Biotechnology Day hibition hall as students participat- be MBP research preceptors—Mi- welcomed Chicago Public Schools ed in hands-on experiments led by chael Jewett, Joshua Leonard and students, and life science graduate MBP students. Do you know how to Keith Tyo. (Clearly we’re onto some- students in the Lurie Cancer Center how to extract DNA from a straw- thing.) Perhaps one our students on Northwestern’s Chicago cam- berry? ‘Cause we do. will design and engineer a new pus. biological system, and address a MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 2 pressing social problem. Biotechnology attendees included Chicago Public Schools students, Northwestern students, staff, and faculty, and tired research- ers on their lunch hour. Our guests learned about the contemporary industrial landscape, practiced DIY Biology experiments, and listened to an address from keynote speaker Nicole Fisher.

MEET OUR KEYNOTE NICOLE FISHER As a human rights and healthcare access activist operating on the world stage. Fisher’s varied career has taken her to political and legistlative offices, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, and the United Nations.

Despite an exemplary career in government service, Fisher left the public sec- tor to create a private consulting firm focused on health and human rights: HHR Strategies, Inc. S.T.E.A.M. PUNKS: THE (NOT SO) HIDDEN TALENTS OF MBP STUDENTS

really nervous, then play, then get decision to study conservation bi- really great feedback,” she said. ology. “I wanted to be on the fron- “I’m sort of hooked to the adrena- tier,” she said. “As I moved through line rush now.” my education I realized that the Now that she’s in graduate school, real frontier was in molecular biol- Ma struggles to make time for her ogy.” With a breadth of opportuni- music. For now, her research and ties just waiting for novel solutions, scholarship comes first, but the Wiegel found her frontier. impact her musical studies carries Biotechnology offers the kind of through to her scientific pursuits. creative flexibility she had been “I think pedagogically there some- seeking since grade school. “In an thing there about training different ideal world I’d like to be an entre- Sana Ma (‘17) tickling the ivories. parts of the brain. When I’m a mu- preneur, then get a PhD, and start a COMPLEXITY & sician, I am very technical. I break company based on an idea I have.” things down methodically.” COMPOSITION Blending the entreprenuerial with When Ma needs a break, she relax- the inventive, Wiegel wins the re- With piano there’s es with some jazz music at Andy’s spect of her peers as she pursues a accompaniment, and a Jazz Club in River North or the research project with NanoCytom- Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Up- ics. “I’ve found inventing to be the melody, the music is a bit town. “I’m really into jazz right now. perfect balance of creative and an- more complex, and I like It isn’t just about music, it’s about alytical. I’m hoping to run with that that. They say musicians mood, hanging out and relaxing a bit. Making things is what give me have a personality type that with your friends.” joy.” matches their instrument. Sana Ma NOVELTY & Class of 2016 EXPLORATION From the age of four, Sana Ma has A life-long fine artist, Stephanie been playing music. As a toddler, Wiegel worked in inks and paints Ma’s parents noticed her affinity before trading them in for pipettes for rhythm, and took swift action, and plates. But “trade” implies the engaging her in piano and violin kind of false dichotomy this article lessons. Their insight proved accu- hopes to avoid. rate; By the age of twelve, Ma had Though competition for time might already composed her own music divide Wiegel’s loyalties between (a creative answer to book report), art and science, her pursuit of both and had a family friend arrange disciplines has only enriched her her piece for a bell choir. Writing or perspective. “I solve problems dif- playing, Ma draws inspiration from ferently,” Wiegel said. “My pure- Expressionist composers, explain- ly analytical classmates haven’t ing that “the notes aren’t as impor- thought of themselves as crea- tant, it’s about the feeling beneath tive for so long. I’m not more crea- them.” tive, but I’ve been in that mindset Ma’s passion for performance longer.” Wiegel laments the disser- brings her to a host of venues – vice education can do to those who benefit concerts, community or- have been shunted into one disci- Untitled. Stephanie Wiegel (‘17). Mixed chestras, and the otherwise quiet plinary mindset for too long. Media living rooms of nursing homes. As Wiegel counts solo shows, mu- LEVITY & a youngster she played in Kids for rals, and international commerce DOCUMENTATION Bach, and the Multiple Piano Fes- among her artistic accomplish- tival. Today she participates in not ments— and was on track to at- In an era dominated by specializa- one, but two Chicago-area orches- tend the Columbia College of Art in tion, Kenneth Wang’s pursuit of the tras, the Lakeshore Symphony Or- Chicago. But faced with the reality well-rounded education appears chestra and the Chicago Metropoli- of post-graduate debt, and (deeply) decidedly classical. For years, Wang tan Symphony Orchestra. “I like the embedded cultural assumptions applied his analytical aptitude to performing aspect of music. I’d get about the value of art, she made a the hard and soft sciences, and with his memory for detail, excelled in Art History—often acting as personal docent to his close friends. “But I always knew the stories be- hind the art and artist, rather than enjoying the work itself,” said Wang. The first step is admitting you have a problem. In acknowledging this artistic defi- cit, Wang found a new skill to master. His pursuit of photography gives him genuine artistic experiences and a more nuanced perspective on the work of others. “Photography gives you an appreciation for con- trast, shadow, balance – composi- tional elements every artist uses,” Wang explained. Though we can attribute Wang’s mastery to the many hours spent working as a commercial photographer, the photographic tradition began with Wang’s grandfather. “He was raised in communist China, where cameras were an upper mid- dle class luxury. You could choose between a camera or a record play- er as your hobby. My grandfather chose a camera.” To this day, Wang cherishes a collection of Zorki cameras—Russian imitations of Leica cameras—his miniature museum to manual photography. While many of Wang’s photos are candid, he appreciates the value of photogrpahy to record-keeping. “Documentation is so important in science,” he said. “If you don’t document it, it’s not there… Having Untitled. Kenneth Wang. Photograph. these primary sources can be quite damning or illuminating.” Collecting these moments in time leads Wang IT’S A NEW DAY FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS: into two social roles: photographer WELCOME NATALIE CHAMPAGNE and friend. (We’ll let you decide MBP is delighted to welcome Na- who’s in the driver’s seat). talie Champagne to our ranks. As Like the masters of street photogra- Director of External Relations & phy before him, Wang captures the Career Management, Champange “decisive moment” through careful prepares students for the daunt- observation of the elements—in ing task of entering the workforce. this case, people. A shared smile, a Under her guidance, students com- distracted focus, a pained expres- pose and perfect their resumes, sion, Wang waits for his moment. fine-tune their interview skills, and “The entire methodology of set- target that most illusive of ani- ting up a shot is very analogous to mals-- the first job. designing an experiment. You try Champagne also serves as MBP’s to account for everything. When first point of contact for our exter- there’s something you can’t change, nal partners, and alumni. (Don’t be you minimize its disruption.” a stranger.) GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT FOR THE CLASS OF 2014 CURRENT INTERNS WORKIN’ FOR THE MAN Breathe. Despite economic downturn, MBP gradautes find jobs (EVERY NIGHT AND DAY)

Lu Bai Rahul Shroff At the bench or at the desk, Research Associate, Moderna Operations Strategy & Planning MBP students gain critical Therapeutics Intern, Baxalta work experience. Aditya Basrur Michael Verleye Quality Assurance Compliance Research Engineer, Nanocytomics Taylor Graff Specialist, Alcon Nanocytomics Paul Weingarden Xinyi (Claire) Che Research Associate II, Broad Insti- Alex Li Research Associate, Conagen tute Unnamed San Diego Firm

Kuan-Wei Chen Henry Weiss Rick McMahon Production Associate, Moderna Scientist, Analytical Development Fresenius Kabi Therapeutics Fresenius Kabi Krishna Sidhartha Ankit Gandhi Oliver Weisser Virology, Eli Lilly Assay Development Research As- Analyst, Deloitte Consulting sociate, T2 Biosystems Dora Wu Tzung-Mao Wu Cell Culture, Eli Lilly Chia-Jung (Joy) Han Process Development Associate, Senior Associate, Amgen Novavax Jiyang Zhang Academic Internship Mingyang Jiang Xiuyuan Xie Woodruff Lab Research Associate, Dimension Marketing Specialist, GenScript Therapeutics Xu Zhang Yingjie Xu Academic Internship Catherine Nguyen Mass Spectronomy Research As- Wells/Gray Lab Regulatory Manager, USC Norris sistant, NantOmics Comprehensive Cancer Center Ge Zhou Demin (Grace) Zhao Academic Internship Durga Nyayadhish Research Technologist, Feinberg Research Associate II, Ohmx Cor- Cardiovascular Research Institute Karen Zuo poration Unnamed San Fransisco Firm Si Zhao Ajinkya Patil Research Research Technician II Feinberg Assistant, Institute for BioNano- School of Medicine technology in Medicine MBP GRADUATE IT DOESN’T TAKE A SUMMER SITE VISIT: RECIEVES NSF GRANT ROCKET SCIENTIST RESEARCH TRAINGLE PARK Eleasa Wilson (Class of 2005) plans , designs, and optimizes experiments for astronauts on the International Space Station.

Remember that scene from Apollo 13 where the engineers from mis- sion control dump a bunch of parts In an effort to bring unique profes- on a table, and are told “we got- sional development opportunities ta find a way to make this, fit into to its students, MBP will organize a the hole for this, using nothin’ but site visit to Research Triangle Park that,”? (RTP) in North Carolina this summer. Well, MBP alumna Elesea Wilson In the pinewood forests between MBP is proud to report that on (formerly Elesea Kim) might not face the same life-and-death dra- Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, March 29, 2016 Jessica Yu (class the RTP was established in 1959 to of ‘14) received a National Science ma that spurred on NASA engineers in 1970, she knows a thing or two retaining the local research talent Foundation Graduate Research from Duke University, North Caroli- Fellowship for her work in “Predict- about limited resources. Working from her station at Teledyne Brown na State University, and the Univer- ing complex cancer dynamics using sity of North Carolina. multi-scale agent-based models.” Engineering, Wilson helps scien- tists accomplish their research ob- Today, RTP is home to 170 compa- Designed to support students in jectives. nies, including Biogen Idec, Syn- research-based Masters degree Wilson’s aptitude for design and genta, United Therapeutics, Cisco, and PhD programs, the award is the Bayer CropScience, Eisai, BASF, the oldest graduate fellowship of its communication bring her to the vanguard of space exploration, U.S. EPA, NIH’s National Institute kind. (And she’s in good company. of Environmental Health Sciences, Previous recipients include Nobel working with specialists from NA- SA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the original research institute prize-winners, cabinet officials, that launched the park, RTI Inter- and pulitzer prize-winning authors.) Johnson Spaceflight Center, the Canadian Space Agency and the national. NSF fellows receive a three-year European Space Agency. This research hub continues to annual stipend of $34,000 along flourish, attracting seasoned pro- with a $12,000 cost of education “I transpose their needs into fessionals and industry novices allowance for tuition and fees. Yu alike, and the three city govern- will also recieve opportunities for timeline schedules, visuals and detailed activities to metns recently proposed plans to international research, profession- develop a light rail transit system in al development, and best of all, the help ensure that science the coming decade. freedom to conduct her own re- objectives are met given the Our trip organizers are in the pro- search at the school of her choice. limited resources available Fortunately, she’s chosen North- cess of establishing connections western. on ISS. “ in the RTP, and will announce companies selections in early summer. Students with leads should contact Natalie Champagne. WINTER 2015 SITE VISIT: SAN DIEGO This past December, MBP brought students to San Diego to visit biotechnology firms Genetech, Halozyme, Illumina, and Gilead Sciences. Students toured facilities, attended panel discussions, and mingled at our networking event at Biocom.

Photo: Gilead Sciences in Oceanside, CA. December 2015. (L to R: Sejal Mis- try, Masood Qader, Anne Thiel, Peter Zhang, Lexie Kendra, Alison DuFour, and Taylor Graff.)

MBP Alumni Anne Thiel and Peter Zhang find meaningful work in Southern California

The balm of Gilead was a rare me- said. “You have your own role, and dicinal perfume purported to cure own projects to work on.” This all aliments in all people. Primi- doesn’t just apply to senior mem- tive in process, and broad in focus, bers of the company, but to interns we might regard its production as and contractors as well. “The pace an early attempt at drug develop- is pretty quick around here,” Thi- ment, (if not marketing). Though the el laughed. “But it’s nice, because knowledge has grown, and methods then you can see things finish. The have changed, the ambition to find interns I’ve seen come through here cures remains constant as the apt- have meaningful projects.” This ly-named Gilead Sciences sets the contrasted with Thiel’s previous There’s something to be said pace for new treatments and an- position at an Eli Lilly pilot plant, ti-viral therapeutics. where bench work tended toward for finding a good mentor. Anne Thiel When MBP visited Gilead’s facili- the routine. on her working relationship with ty in Oceanside, CA, students and The training Thiel and Zhang re- Dimitra Georganopoulou faculty gained access Gilead’s ceived during their time in MBP laboratories, guided by Anne Thi- set them up for success in their re- el (‘12), and Peter Zhang (‘13), two spective roles. Both cited Bill Mill- alumni currently working in the er’s bioprocess engineering course company’s fast-growing biologics as highly relevant to the cell cul- division. Though he’s only been with ture work they engage in at Gilead. the company for a year and a half, The technical skills and concepts Zhang is considered the veteran in acquired in lab courses prepared his team—that’s how rapidly Gile- them to take on bench work almost ad has been onboarding new hires. immediately, giving them an edge Growth has been so consistent, over other new hires. that the company’s three-building A bachelor’s degree might be suffi- site will soon relocate into one large cient to start a career, but for those facility—directly across from their looking to advance their ideas be- tech park neighbors, Genetech. yond the entry-level, a master’s de- Though moving the main project gree is critical to success. “I wanted forward is a part of each employee’s to make myself more marketable,” day, Gilead respects their employ- said Thiel, “it was the network of No matter who you are you ees’ ambitions. “The managers here companies eventually sold me on are very good at trying to get your going to MBP. There was a clear will make presentations. own personal development, Zhang path to where I wanted to be.” Peter Zhang EVENT CALENDAR

THURSDAY APRIL 14 TWO DAY EVENT : APRIL 19 & 20 ChBE Seminar Series Scanning Probe Microscopy 9AM ITW Room 1350 - Ford Short Courses and Training Workshop BME Seminar Series: NUANCE Center Sam Sia, PhD 8:30AM 2058 - Cook Hall 4PM L361 - Tech REGISTRATION REQUIRED

FRIDAY APRIL 15 TUESDAY APRIL 26 TUESDAY APRIL 19 SEGIM Seminar: Mohend Microbiology-Immunology 10AM-6PM Chaouche Seminar: Sara Cherry, PhD WEDNESDAY APRIL 20 12PM A230 - Tech 12PM Baldwin Auditorium - Lurie 7:30AM-6PM Civil & Environmental Engineering “Using Genetic Approaches to Study Host-Microbe Interactions” Environmental Engineering Hilton Orrington Seminar: Nancy Love Center for Molecular Inno- 1710 Orrington Avenue 2PM A230 - Tech vation and Drug Discovery Evanston, IL 60208 "The Interplay between Chemicals Seminar and Microbiomes: An Environmen- 4PM 4003 - Ryan Hall Thus annual industry expo fosters tal Biotechnology Perspective" “Metal-Catalyzed Alkene Func- meaningful partnerships in the tionalization: An Approach Towards growing Midwest life science and TUESDAY APRIL 19 Stereospecific Cross-Coupling” healthcare markets. Achenbach Lecture 2016: THURSDAY APRIL 28 iBIO IndEx 2016 where thought Dean Mary Boyce leaders converge and connect to 2PM ITW Room ChBE Seminar Series emerge with new insight. Civil & Environmental Engineering 9AM ITW Room 1350 - Ford

Colloquium: Austin Minnich Lecture for Medical Humanities 4PM L361 - Tech & Bioethics Materials Science & Engineering 12PM Searle Seminar Room - Lurie Megan Crowley-Matoka, PhD Medical Grand Rounds 7:30 AM 3rd Floor, Conference BME Seminar Series: John Room A Wikswo, PhD ERIC FALLON Northwestern Memorial Hospital 4PM L361 - Tech Director of Technology THURSDAY APRIL 21 “Organs on Chips: Bioreactors, Sen- Genentech, San Diego sors, Controls and Interconnects to PhD Chemical Engineering Scanning Probe Microscopy Support Constructionist Biology” Massachusettes Short Courses and Training Institute of Technology Workshop THURSDAY MAY 12 NUANCE Center THURSDAY APRIL 28 8:30AM Room 2058 - Cook Hall ChBE Seminar Series 9AM ITW Room 1350 - Ford LECTURE ChBE Seminar Series 4 - 6 PM 9:00 AM ITW Room 1350 - Ford Emotional Capacity: The Role (TECH M164) of Emotion in SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WELCOME Lecture for Medical Decisional Capacity Humanities & Bioethics 12PM Searle Seminar Room - Lurie RECEPTION 12PM Searle Seminar Room - Lurie Michael J. Schrift, DO, MA 6 - 7 PM AT COHEN COMMONS BME Seminar Series: George BME Seminar Series: Elizabeth (TECH L482) Truskey, PhD Hillman, PhD 4PM L361 - Tech 4PM L361 Tech George Truskey, PhD Elizabeth Hillman, PhD