Preethy G
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of Birmingham
Expertise
Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Educational Equity, Social Justice, Organizational Leadership, Public Speaking, Gender Equality, Race Equality
Bio
Hello! My name is Preethy Gowrinathan - affectionately nicknamed 'Dr.G' by my students. I have been a high school Principal and a founding teacher in Biology teaching PreAP and AP Biology at the high school level. My foundational background is in science research - I have a PhD in Molecular Biology and I have experience in mentoring undergraduate students in their research projects. Having taken quite the interesting path from bench research, through undergraduate mentoring, leading up to high school teaching, I can confidently say that I enjoy working with high school students the most! I am driven by the immense potential that lies ahead of high schoolers and want to support students in achieving personal success through college and beyond. Although a public-speaker all my life, I am an introvert and would love to curl-up with a book and some music anytime I can. Being a mom to a middle-schooler, with a new puppy at home (ask me about Yuki - our labrador), I can only fleetingly grab this solitude I dream of. I am known to be a great cook and when not napping, you will find me cooking a thoughtful meal for my family. Cool fact about me: I won a 'Talk Your Way to Japan' contest during my undergrad days and went on a 2-week, all-expenses paid trip to Japan. I also am a huge fan of nerdy memes and will often regale my students with some corny biology memes just to elicit their eye-rolls. I look forward to meeting you and helping you discover your passion for research!Project ideas
Predicting the course of human evolution in the future
One of the cornerstones of the theory of natural selection is how variation in a population allows for individuals with selective advantages to survive and reproduce over time, in response to specific selective pressures. Given that humans have quickly monopolized the resources on earth and pretty much nulled most selective pressures, would speciation slow down? While humans have individual variation like all other populations, what selective advantages is natural selection currently operating on for us? In this project - with the end outcome as a scientific paper or a podcast, students will bring a working knowledge of natural selection/ evolution, along with the ability to interpret quantitative/ qualitative data to first generate a list of potential selective pressures and predict selective advantages that can help survive these pressures. We will then make an informed, evidence-based prediction of how the human species is expected to evolve in the next 1000 years.
How can second/third-generation immigrants further social justice in their communities?
Intended to be an interactive, research-based podcast, the goal of this study is to explore first-hand accounts and literature on immigration in the US, defining the differences between the success of different communities of color, identifying the 'head winds' that enable this success for some communities (like the Asian American community) and the 'tail winds' that act as barriers for other communities (like the Black, Native American and Latinx communities), and proposing solutions to raise awareness and active allyship among these communities to support equitable outcomes for all. In this project, we will dive deeper into understanding the role of race, class, privilege and gender - in order to tap into our personal cultural frame of reference - to generate solutions that will amplify our strength as community in helping those that are traditionally under-served.