Sarah B
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill)
Expertise
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Genomics, Genetics, Computational Biology, Complex Cardiometabolic Traits (type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, etc.) , analyzing gene expression datasets, forensic science
Bio
Hello! My passion in science is to understand the genetic basis underlying complex diseases! I am currently studying the increase or decrease in expression of genes in fat tissue and how they are associated with type 2 diabetes or obesity. I apply computational tools to ask all of my genetics questions. I have a secondary interest in forensic science! I am not doing any research in the area currently, but I have a bachelor's degree in the subject and am happy to discuss projects related to forensics as well. I am a scientist during the day and a ballroom dancer by night! I love to dance! I grew up doing ballet for 15 years and have now started to learn and compete in ballroom dancing! I also enjoy hiking, playing board games, and hanging out with friends. A fun fact about me is that I have a twin brother and we look nothing alike! That is one of the reasons that sparked my interest in genetics.Project ideas
Use of consumer-based genetic testing in criminal investigations
There are many consumer genetic testing companies (23&Me, Ancestry.com, etc.) where people can submit their own DNA samples to learn their ancestry information. There have been instances of using this type of information in criminal investigations. Ethics committees have regulations on this use of people's genetic information. A project could be to compile the current ethical standards and laws, past and present uses of consumer-based genetic information in criminal investigations, and privacy policies in place at consumer genetic testing companies. Then, a survey of the public could be conducted to determine their opinions about using consumer-based genetic testing data for criminal investigations.
Designing a high-school level learning to code course
Having coding skills is becoming more and more useful for many careers and there are not many free resources for high school students on coding. Create an online tutorial for coding basics or start a coding club at your school!