Helen B
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Yale University
Expertise
Immunology, microbiology, viruses, bacteria, cellular biology, genetics, epigenetics, molecular biology
Bio
Hello! My name is Helen and I am an immunologist. I study how we interact with the viruses and bacteria around us. I am trying to learn how we keep maintain a good relationship with the bacteria that live in our intestinal tract and keep us happy and healthy. I also study the different mechanisms our bodies use to fight off bacteria and virus infections that can make us sick. I love being a scientist because my job is to be curious and to discover things that are unknown! I hope to spread my excitement and curiosity about the world around us and to teach the next generation of scientists. When I am not doing research or teaching science, I love being outdoors. My favorite hobbies are hiking and riding my bike. I also read as much as I can, not just books about science and history, but also lots of fiction! I have a pet cat and a pet snake. My pet snake is named after one of my favorite proteins, HMGB, but I call him Humbug.Project ideas
History of pandemics
While the current COVID pandemic may seem overwhelming, it is not the first global pandemic humans have experienced. Through this project, you will learn about the history of pandemics and the microorganisms that caused them. You can explore the similarities and differences between the public health responses to these outbreaks. You can also determine what steps can be taken to improve responses to future pandemics. If you are more interested in microbiology, you can determine what the causative agents of past pandemics were and delineate the types of microorganisms that are more or less likely to cause pandemics.
How do vaccines work?
During the COVID pandemic, vaccines have been all over the news! But how do they work? Through this project, you will explore how vaccines work and the history of science behind vaccine development. While the final project will be up to you, the ultimate goal of this project is for you to be a true public health advocate for vaccines and to be able to communicate why vaccines are so important.
'Biomes
Our bodies are covered and filled with lots of microorganisms that help keep us healthy. In this project, you will explore the microbiome to learn about the different kinds of organisms that compose it, as well as the functions they play. This project can be looked at with different lenses. If you are more interested in the history of science, you are welcome to explore the history of the discovery of the microbiome and how it has been studied throughout the years. If you would like to develop your computational skills, you can use publicly available datasets to compare and contrast different microbial communities. More of a microbiologist? You are welcome to delve into how taking antibiotics can affect your microbiome and how to minimize detrimental side effects after antibiotic use!