Past Researchers

TAYLOR

Taylor Brooks, from Beaverton, MI, graduated from SVSU with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. Throughout her two and a half years in the lab, she worked on creating a protein profile of NT-3 and presented her work in an oral presentation at the Michigan Academy regional conference. Her research was funded by a faculty-led grant under Dr. Sylvia Fromherz. Taylor also participated in intramural volleyball and basketball, and worked as a co-op at Dow Chemical in mammalian toxicology. She is interested in a career in medicine and pursuing research while earning her MD.

AMANDA

Amanda Weiss began conducting research with Dr. Fromherz after taking Cellular Biology with her in 2016. Amanda's interest in Tetrahymena thermophilia launched a new research project under Dr. Fromherz involving microplastics. She has worked on other projects under Faculty-Led Research Grants, but most satisfying to her was being awarded an Independent Student-Led Research Grant to fund her microplastics project. Amanda has presented her work at the 2018 Science and Engineering Symposium, and plans to present at the ASCB meeting in 2018, the Michigan Academy Regional Conference in 2019, and the 2019 UGRP Symposium. In addition to research, Amanda loves to oil paint, and go camping and fishing with her husband and friends. Amanda graduated in 2020 with a major in Biology and a minor in both Chemistry and Psychology. She is planing a career in biology research.

COLE

Cole Pero is from Bay City, Michigan. He conducted his Honors thesis research in the Fromherz lab from 2016 until 2019, when he graduated with a BS in Biology and a Chemistry minor. During his time at SVSU, he studied the effect of Vitamin B6 on the Neurotrophin-3 signaling pathway in chicken embryo development, and presented his work at the 2018 joint ASCB/EMBO Cell Biology Conference in San Diego, California. Currently, Cole is a PhD student in the lab of Craig Mello at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he studies expression of 21U-RNAs in C. elegans and is exploring the possibility of an active mechanism for DNA sequence conservation. Outside of the lab, Cole enjoys biking, playing soccer, and reading books.

JULIE

Julie Learst, from Canton, MI, was a Biology major at Saginaw Valley State University with minors in both Chemistry and Spanish for the Health Professions. Julie began researching with Dr. Fromherz in 2017. She was awarded a student led undergraduate research grant from SVSU to fund her research, and she is now a student at Central Michigan University College of Medicine, class of 2023. She is doing the dual MD/MBA program and will be completing her master’s of business administration concurrently. At CMED, she a dean’s ambassador, which means she helps represent the medical school and helps conduct interviews for applicants. She also participates in research about the opioid crisis in Michigan and analyze outcomes of a diversion program. In the free time she does get to enjoy, she loves to read, travel, cook, and play with her dog!