About Kate

Hometown:
Louisville, KY

University Partner:
Yale University

Degree:
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, 2008

Grant Partner:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Senior Mentor:
Dr. Linda Van Aelst, Professor

"Meeting leaders from diverse fields at the Foundation events and learning from the other Scholars about their varied experiences both exposed me to new careers and also made professional life feel much more accessible. It was an awe-striking experience not only to hear truly accomplished people tell stories of how they pursued their interests, but also to have them encourage me to do the same."

Scholar Background

As the valedictorian of her high school class and co-founder of the Yale Undergraduate Society of Biological Science, Kate has strived to learn from those who are more experienced and accomplished in research and, in turn, lead others by sharing with them what she has learned. Since its inception, the Society has become a major outlet for undergraduate biology students to connect with faculty mentors, receive academic, career and research guidance, and to form new relationships with other biology students. As a research assistant in the Dellaporta-Moreno Genetics Laboratory at Yale, Kate helped clone Tassel-seed 2 gene mediating programmed death of sexual organs in maize. Outside of her academic pursuits, Kate was selected as a member of the Undergraduate Organizations Funding Committee to represent the Dean’s Office in allocating university funds. A Vogt Achievement Scholar, Carnegie Mellon Scholar, and Justice Louis D. Brandeis Scholar, Kate was also an active member of the Yale Mock Trial Association, having competed in national-level intercollegiate competitions.

Internship Highlight

Under the guidance of Dr. Linda Van Aelst at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Kate studied the signal transduction pathways that lead to tumorigenesis and neural development. She focused on biochemically characterizing the domains of interaction between two proteins that are associated with mental retardation and looked at the functional consequences of this interaction. 

Where are they now?

Kate is currently working as a Project Analyst at Mintz Levin, a law firm in Boston.