Kelly Wetmore '05

About Kelly

Hometown:
San Jose, CA

University Partner:
University of California, Los Angeles

Degree:
B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, 2006

Grant Partner:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Senior Mentor:
Dr. Wolfgang Lukowitz, Assistant Professor

"I felt at home with the Steamboat family and was comfortable sharing my insecurities, weaknesses, aspirations, and successes. The diversity of cultures, academics, and ideals provided through the Steamboat experience has greatly broadened my perspective. The Steamboat executives exuded heartfelt enthusiasm and genuine compassion for the Scholars. Their passion to build a community of outstanding students, influential leaders and, organizations is astounding."

Scholar Background

Kelly’s love for science and research began with three consecutive summer internships in the lab of Dr. Chris Somerville, director of Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology at Stanford University. Due to a serious car accident, Kelly was forced to take time off from UCLA and return to Northern California for physical rehabilitation. This personal challenge did not deter Kelly from continuing with her academic pursuits. During this time, she worked at the Cardiovascular Research Institute with Dr. John Kane at the University of California at San Francisco, where she looked to identify novel genetic variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are predictive of increased risk for ischemic stroke and carotid artery disease. After returning to UCLA, Kelly continued to participate in interdisciplinary research, with the ultimate goal of integrating her interests in scientific research and medicine by obtaining a joint M.D./Ph.D. degree.

Internship Description

Having met Dr. Lukowitz previously at UCLA, Kelly was particularly thrilled to be assigned to his lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Kelly conducted an ambitious series of experiments investigating early cell-fate decisions of developing plant embryos. She attempted to identify genetic loci modulating the function of short suspensor, a predicted kinase promoting extra-embryonic fate in Arabidopsis thaliana. On completion of her project, Dr. Lukowitz made a point of telling Kelly that he was impressed with her work and proud of her. “His acknowledgement of me as a talented young scientist,” Kelly noted, “was the highlight of my summer.”