Howdy, and welcome to Blue Genes and Boots everyone! In this episode, Sarah spoke with four undergraduates from universities across the county who participated in our Summer Undergraduate Research in Genetics and Genomics (SURGe) program.

The National Science Foundation SURGe Program is a 10-week intensive research experience under the mentorship of one of our Faculty of Genetics and Genomics members that includes a 3-credit hour Bioinformatics class. The credits are transferable to their home institution. Additionally, students have weekly meetings to explore research and career opportunities in genetics and genomics, discuss research ethics, how to apply to graduate school, and learn practical oral and written presentation skills.

Come listen in as we speak with Lance Nuique, Dante Lopez, Julia Hunter and Neryan Castrodad about their decision to apply, how their experience went in the program and where they'll go from here!

If you'd like to learn more about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots everyone! In this episode, Anthony Matarazzo speaks with Veronika Mojik and Charles Mitchell, two current PhD students in the TAMUGENE program.

Veronika obtained her undergraduate degree from The University of North Carolina - Asheville and studies under Dr. Hubert Amrein. Charles' undergraduate studies were completed at The University of Texas - Dallas, and he is advised by Dr. Dmitry Kurouski.

They've just finished up their first year of graduate studies and have got some great advice that you won't want to miss! Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy!

If you'd like to learn more about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

In this episode Veronika Mojik talks with third year PhD candidate Mayra Mendoza about what it's like to traverse graduate school while being a mom to two boys! They also discuss Mayra's research on the alpaca genome and the in's and out's of running a cytogenetic service lab within an academic setting.

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots, everyone!

In this episode, Emmarie and Sarah talk to Dr. Jessica Light, a professor and curator of mammals in the Ecology and Conservation Biology department at Texas A&M University. She received her B.S. in Biology and Resource Ecology and Management at the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Zoology at Louisiana State University. Her lab uses molecular and morphological data to study the evolution of distantly related taxa, such as between mammals and their parasites.

If you want to know more about the research discussed in this episode or about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Jessica Light: https://eccb.tamu.edu/people/light-jessica/

Light Lab Website: https://lightjessica.weebly.com/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=QVd0d7IAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots, everyone!

In this episode, Emmarie and Veronika talk to Dr. Harmit Malik, a professor and associate director of the Basic Science Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. He received his BTech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Rochester. His lab studies the evolution of genetic conflict in Drosophila, primates, and yeast, with a focus on centromeres, viruses, and mobile elements.

If you want to know more about the research discussed in this episode or about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Dr. Harmit Malik’s bio: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/faculty-lab-directory/malik-harmit.html

Dr. Malik’s lab website: https://research.fredhutch.org/malik/en.html

Dr. Malik’s Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=68yAqOQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots, everyone!

In this episode, Emmarie and Serina talk to Dr. Bruce Walsh. Dr. Walsh is an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology professor at the University of Arizona. He earned his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Washington and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago and the University of California, Davis. His research uses mathematical models to better understand the evolution of genetics and complex traits.

If you want to know more about the research discussed in this episode or about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Dr. Bruce Walsh: https://eeb.arizona.edu/person/j-bruce-walsh

Dr. Walsh’s Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7iQEFwIAAAAJ&hl=en

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots, everyone!

In this episode, Emmarie and Serina talk to Dr. Adam Phillippy. Dr. Phillippy is the director of the Center for Genomics and Data Science Research and the head of the Genome Informatics Section at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). His research focuses on developing computational tools for genomic analysis, such as genome assembly. His team has developed many widely used bioinformatic tools and assembled the genomes of diverse species. In 2022, Dr. Phillippy and his group published the first fully complete (or telomere-to-telomere) human genome.

If you want to know more about the research discussed in this episode or about the Genetics program at Texas A&M, please visit the following websites:

Dr. Adam Phillippy: https://www.genome.gov/staff/Adam-M-Phillippy-PhD

Telomere-to-telomere human genome publication: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abj6987

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu

Welcome to Blue Genes and Boots, everyone!

In this episode, Khushboo and Sarah talk to Lilia Sanchez. Lily is a postdoctoral researcher who successfully defended her dissertation in Fall 2023! She is in Dr. Weston Porter’s lab where she has studied mitochondria and mammary gland development.

If you want to know more about the Genetics program at Texas A&M or the research discussed in this episode, please visit the following websites:

Porter lab: https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n90e6f6c0/Persons/View%20All

Genetics IDP: https://genetics.tamu.edu

Genetics Graduate Student Association: https://g2sa.tamu.edu