Over the last year and a half, a group of seven students have been part of a Creative Inquiry led by Dr. Heidi Anderson to develop interactive tools to aid in learning biochemistry content.
From this group, a web-based application called ‘Aminole’ (based off of the New York Times game ‘Wordle’) was developed to aid students in learning the twenty common amino acids. The game has been used by Clemson students in introductory biochemistry courses and was well-received as a fun and engaging way to aid in the learning process.
In April, four of the students along with Dr. Anderson traveled to Anaheim, CA to present a poster about the game at the National Science Teacher Association conference.
“I am so proud of the team of students who have dedicated time and creativity to make this idea come to life,” says Dr. Anderson. “Seeing Aminole presented at a national conference and being so well-received was encouraging to the students and myself.
Kathleen Doran, junior biochemistry and genetics major from Stephentown, NY, stayed on campus this summer in working on Creative Inquiry (CI) project in Dr. Adam Melvin’s MicroLab titled “Biophysical analysis of the chemotactic response of different cell types exposed to various stimuli spanning the breast tumor.”
Coming into Clemson, Kathleen knew she wanted to be involved in research. She began searching for labs and came across Dr. Melvin’s lab and joined in the Spring of 2024.
“During the academic year I am a member of Melvin MicroLab, in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. My project focuses on the chemotaxis of breast cancer cells in response to bacterial presence.”
In the fall of her freshman year, Kathleen took Careers in Biochemistry and Genetics, which is where she learned about the Creative Inquiry Program. Kathleen’s Summer CI project focused on the development of a 3D printed device to study how bacteria alters the migration of breast cancer cells.
“Currently, there are few studies that have been able to identify if bacteria from the breast tumor microbiome alters the directional migration of cancer cells. Our work hopes to visualize cancer cell chemotaxis due to bacteria.”
Kathleen notes that the Summer CI Program has been a wonderful experience to continue her ongoing research and get to know more about the work being done by others within the Melvin lab.
“I loved getting to know what other people are working on, and having the opportunity to discuss issues that other teams may have struggled with and sharing different approaches to address complications. Working in the Melvin Lab has been one of the defining experiences of my time here at Clemson.”
SOFIA BUFANO
Senior international biochemistry student Sofia Bufano always knew she wanted to participate in a research lab during her academic career at Clemson and found the perfect fit in the Research and Education in Disease Diagnosis and Intervention Laboratory (REDDI Lab).
“I stumbled across Dr. Congyue Peng’s lab in the REDDI lab, and I liked her publications and her current research in the pathology field. I joined the lab spring semester of freshman year, and I’ve been an undergraduate researcher there ever since.”
This summer Sofia participated in a Creative Inquiry (CI) within the REDDI lab working on a project with the ultimate goal of differentiating human Dental Pulp Stem Cells into Motor Neuron Cells.
“So far, I have been taking care of my hDPSCs (passaging and changing media), and I performed RNA extraction, RNA to cDNA conversion, and qPCR to characterize the hDPSCs for specific primers we have selected, which will also be used to characterize Neuron Cells after differentiation.”
Sofia was nervous this summer to be in the lab and working on her own research project with new protocols and without any other lab partners. However, once she got used to it, Sofia felt beyond satisfied with her progress and research.
“The summer CI research was a life-changing experience on so many levels! Prior to this summer internship, I had in mind to pursue a Ph.D. in science after college, and this experience was the confirmation I needed that this path is the right choice for me.”
When Sofia was not in the lab, she used her free time to travel and spend time with friends and family, some of her closest friends staying in Clemson participating in CIs as well.
“We often got together after lab to chat about our experiments and watch TV. I also traveled quite a bit: I went horseback riding in the Dominican Republic, snorkeling in Curaçao, sightseeing in Aruba, and I spent some time in Hilton Head with friends and family.”
Sofia is Italian and officially became an American citizen in April and experienced her first American 4th of July this year!
CATLY NGUYEN
When Dr. Jim Morris was the guest speaker at a Biochemistry and Genetics Club meeting, senior biochemistry major Catly (Cat) Nguyen became interested in his research, leading to a position as an undergraduate researcher in the Morris Labs. This summer, Cat is participating in the Undergraduate Research + Creative Inquiry (CI) program, while continuing her research with Dr. Morris.
“Hearing Dr. Morris talk about his journey into research/molecular biology and his work was so insightful and interesting. It gave me the courage to email him and ask to join his lab as an undergraduate researcher.”
In the Morris Lab, Cat’s research focuses on identifying and localizing potential drug targets and understanding drug uptake in Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness. Trypanosomes are so complex because their cellular mechanisms, like glucose metabolism, are not yet fully understood.
“Our goal here is expand our understanding of their cellular biology so that we can exploit it for drug targets.”
This summer, for her CI, Cat is specifically investigating how drugs and inhibitors are trafficked to glycosomes, which are specialized peroxisomes that house essential glycolytic enzymes.
“To do this, I’ve been working on purifying PTS-tagged (peroxisomal targeting sequence) eYFP proteins, which will help us characterize how these proteins are delivered to the glycosomes and potentially co-delivered with drugs.”
Another part of Cat’s research is working on another side cloning project where the goal is to find the origin of replication within a plasmid by dividing it into smaller fragments and amplifying them using specific designed primer pairs. Once one is discovered, they can clone EYFP into it, allowing N. fowleri to replicate the fluorescent protein independently and establish long-term expression of EYFP once it is transfected into the parasite.
“So far, I’ve had such an amazing experience in Dr. Morris’ lab during the summer. I’ve gotten to spend more time in lab, getting more work done, being able to see positive results, and most importantly expanding my understanding of molecular biology and biochemistry.”
Cat has been able to apply this experience to her lecture courses and has been able to interact with and learn from graduate students, whom she notes as great mentors. Cat knows this experience in the Morris lab will help her reach her future ambitions.
“From this experience, I hope to better prepare myself for a future in research. I am pursuing pharmacy school after undergrad and am planning on going into biochemical pharmaceutical research where I focus on drug discovery/delivery. So, working with Dr. Morris this summer has be extremely valuable to my future goals.”
Outside of her CI, Cat has been spending her summer planting, spending time with friends and families, cooking and baking, going to concerts, reading and traveling.
ALEXANDRA HARRINGTON
Currently working in the Creative Inquiry (CI) project Investigating the role of the TMLH (CNAG_05675) gene and the gBB (CNAG_00403) gene in the carnitine biosynthesis pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans, senior genetics and biochemistry major Alexandra Harrington strives to contribute and make a difference in the scientific community.
Alexandra is researching the carnitine biosynthesis pathway in the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) with its director Dr. Kerry Smith and plans to continue her research throughout the Fall semester as she pursues a Departmental Honors.
“I was very interested in the EPIC here at Clemson because it combines my majors in biochemistry and genetics and my minor in microbiology.”
For her CI, Alexandra is investigating the role of the TMLH (CNAG_05675) gene and the gBB (CNAG_00403) gene in the carnitine biosynthesis pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen responsible for diseases like meningitis and pneumonia. Alexandra’s project aims to completely characterize the carnitine biosynthesis pathway, specifically genes TMLH and gBB, as it pertains to acetate metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis in the virulence of fungal pathogen C. neoformans.
“I have spent these past several weeks especially focusing on the TMLH gene, in which I have grown my C. neoformans wild-type in media and isolated its DNA, isolated my target DNA (TMLH), used PCR to amplify the TMLH gene and I am currently working to clone my TMLH gene into a plasmid and further confirm that transformation occurred using PCR and sequencing. I am working towards having all elements necessary to perform complementation using a gene-editing method called Transient CRISPR-Cas9 Coupled with Electroporation (TRACE).”
Through her summer CI Alexandra hopes to strengthen her critical thinking and problem-solving skills and deepen understanding of what she is learning in her classroom lectures and labs, particularly the techniques, processes and pathways, and apply them to real-world experiments.
“Through this project, I want a greater understanding of fungal metabolism and virulence. I have been able to isolate DNA, conduct many PCR procedures, interpret gel electrophoresis results, and I have learned the importance of designing primers as well as cloning target DNA into plasmid DNA.”
She was especially excited to work with the gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 that is becoming increasingly effective and vital in the fields of biochemistry, genetics and biomedicine to discover gene therapies.
“My project has already taught me how to learn by asking meaningful questions and how important it is to step back and find another route to a solution. In addition, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of a team, both developing connections with and learning from lab mates.”
Alexandra finds excitement in knowing that one day she may help discover something truly important to healthcare that makes a difference in someone’s life and sees this program as an experience that will help her get closer to achieving her career and life goals.
“It is rewarding knowing that this project has the potential to better understand pathogen virulence and to use this pathway as a target for antifungal drug treatments in the future.”
During the academic year, Alexandra participates in Dr. Kimberly Métris’ lab, Beta Beta Beta Biological Sciences Fraternity, the women’s lacrosse team, Clemson Hope, Kappa Delta, Clemson’s Sigma Delta Pi Hispanic National Honor Society and the Spanish club, Hablemos. When not in the lab this summer, she spends her time studying for the MCAT, attending baseball games, both Clemson and the Phillies, enjoying lake days with friends, golfing, walking on the dikes and reading.
Natalie Shay, genetics student graduating this May, has been emersed in research, clubs and the community since she arrived, research being one of Natalie’s top priorities.
“During my freshman and sophomore year, I was in a CI with Dr. Marc Birtwistle where I helped study cancer diagnostics and pharmacology.”
Junior and senior year, Natalie developed an interest in neurobiology, resulting in an undergraduate researcher position in Dr. Julia George’s lab, where Natalie studied gene expression in the brains of zebra finch embryos, particularly DNA methylation changes.
“These experiences shaped me as a scientist, and I couldn’t be more thankful for them!”
Natalie was also the president of the Biochemistry and Genetics club, and her favorite course was Epigenetics; she loves figuring out how so many factors affect our gene expression beyond just our DNA sequence.
Natalie is grateful for the lifelong friends that she has made at Clemson over the last four years.
“It was awesome to find friends who love science as much as I do!”
After graduation, Natalie will be joining Dr. Jessica Larsen’s lab to pursue a master’s degree in bioengineering, her overall career goal to research and develop gene therapies.
“I’m glad I get to stay at Clemson a little bit longer!”
The last four years of her undergraduate studies, graduating biochemistry senior Kailie Greer, has spent trying new things and meeting new people. From studying abroad to participating in a Creative Inquiry (CI) Program, Kailie has fully taken advantage of the experiential learning that Clemson has to offer.
Kailie was a part of Dr. Scott Pratt’s Advancement of Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Cattle and Other Species CI and studied abroad in Florence, Italy last summer at the Institute of Lorenzo de’ Medici (LdM) in Florence, Italy, which is noted as one of the most distinctive and well-established study abroad institutions in Italy. In addition, Kailie worked part-time at Crossroads Animal Hospital in Seneca, SC.
Upon graduation, Kailie is taking a gap year and working at Salt Marsh Animal Hospital in Kiawah, SC before applying to veterinary school.
“Clemson has brought me so many opportunities and I am forever thankful for the four years I had here.”
Associate professor Michael Sehorn has been awarded the 2025 Ted G. Westmoreland Faculty Excellence Award, which is presented annually to honor a distinguished faculty member who has made exemplary contributions to undergraduate student success at Clemson University.
Dr. Sehorn is a member of the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center and the Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies with a research focus on DNA repair and genome stability. Dedicated to student mentorship, Sehorn has guided numerous undergraduates to postgraduate education at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania and on to win major awards, including the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship, Norris Medal, Truman Scholar and Beckman Scholar.
In addition, his long-standing engagement with Creative Inquiry Program is evident through his service on the CI + UR Advisory Committee and as a Creative Inquiry Fellow. As an experiential learning ambassador, Sehorn supports the Clemson Elevate initiative by advising and facilitating experiential through research.
He developed two courses that provide pre-med students with clinical research and shadowing experiences. Additionally, Sehorn is the faculty advisor for the pre-med Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-health organization. He has led multiple Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation Faculty Learning Communities to enhance teaching effectiveness.
The Ted G. Westmoreland Faculty Excellence Award recipient receives a monetary award of $1,000 and a plaque. Additionally, the faculty member’s name is added to the perpetual Dr. Ted G. Westmoreland Award for Faculty Excellence plaque on display in the Class of 1956 Academic Success Center Building.
Senior biochemistry major Kristen Gulbrandsen placed 1st at the 20th annual Focus on Creative Inquiry (FoCI) event, which is Clemson’s university-wide poster forum that showcases undergraduate research, service-learning and other experiential learning activities supported by the Creative Inquiry program. Kristen’s poster presentation was titled “Enterococcus faecalis Inhibits Clostridium innocuum In Vitro Under Multiple Conditions.”
Many other G&B students presented their research at FoCI as well.
The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.The Creative Inquiry poster session in the Watt Family Innovation Center on April 9, 2025.
Sophomore and Honors College student Ciara Alderman initially chose to major in biochemistry because her career plan was to attend medical school. Though her aspirations have changed, her love her biochemistry has only grown.
“I love challenging myself and learning about the biochemical processes that affects every living organism.”
When looking for colleges, Ciara was looking for a place that was welcoming, student-centered and somewhere that she knew she could succeed.
“Allowing undergraduates to participate in research and projects the way Clemson does is unheard of. I knew that Clemson would provide me with the resources and experiences I need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Now that Ciara has been on campus for a while, she has found a community in the Genetics and Biochemistry department, with both students and faculty.
“I think we have the best faculty and staff of any department!”
Aside from the departmental community, Ciara has become involved in several extracurricular activities on campus. One is working for Clemson Home as a Residential Community Mentor (RCM) helping students navigate their freshman year at Clemson.
“The most fulfilling part of my job is being a mentor to my residents. Being an RCM fills me with unexplainable joy as I help foster an inclusive community that creates an environment for students to succeed.”
Ciara is also a member of Clemson’s Xi Chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon (A.O.E), a professional and social sorority for women in engineering and science focused on friendship, leadership and professionalism. Being a member of A.O.E has given Ciara the opportunity to connect with women in all STEM fields as well as other Genetics and Biochemistry majors.
“Through A.O.E, I have made lifelong friends, developed my professional skills and made a positive impact in my community.”
This semester Ciara joined a Creative Inquiry (CI) project focused on running standardized national STEM competitions for K-12 students.
“I am passionate about providing students with the opportunity to develop their STEM knowledge, skills and experiences before entering college, and this CI gives me the chance.”
In her free time, Ciara enjoys playing sports like volleyball, spikeball, football and pickleball with her friends. She is a huge fan of Clemson sports attends all the games she can. She also loves the outdoors, taking advantage of Clemson’s location in the upstate by hiking and kayaking on Lake Hartwell, walking at the Dikes and camping in the Blue Ridge. On days when she wants to relax, Ciara loves to read anything from short memoirs and essay collections to historical fiction and mysteries.
“A fun fact about me is that I have a black belt in Karate!”
Ciara’s aspirations grew and changed as she delved into the world of biochemistry. No longer was medical school at the forefront of her brain. After graduation, Ciara aspires to go on to Physical Therapy school and get her DPT.
“It is my dream to be able to work for a sports team as a Physical Therapist to help athletes get back on their feet and back to the sport they love.”
If you’re in the sciences, odds are you’ve crossed paths with Kate Doran. Maybe in your genetics or biochemistry or anthropology or engineering or chemistry or biology courses. Kate seems to be a jack of all trades in the College of Science.
Originally from Stephentown, New York, Kate is a junior double majoring in genetics and biochemistry with minors in social sciences, biological sciences, engineering and chemistry. Kate chose Clemson because when she toured “it felt like home” with it being a big school but with a small school environment.
Research being a significant part of Kate’s academic career, she has been involved in the Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research Program, Clemson University’s unique combination of undergraduate research, experiential learning and cross-disciplinary interactions.
“The opportunities available were unmatched, specifically the creative inquiry program which allows undergraduate students to do research.”
The title of Kate’s Creative Inquiry project is “Development of a 3D-Printed Millifluidic Device to Study How Bacteria Alters the 3D Migration of Breast Cancer Cells.” The goal of this project was to look at the chemotactic response due to soluble factors released by bacteria in the breast tumor microenvironment and investigate this through the development of a 3D printed millifluidic device to analyze cancer cell chemotaxis.
In addition to the Creative Inquiry Program, Kate participates in Dr. Adam Melvin’s chemical engineering lab, focusing on the 3-Dimensional migration of breast cancer cells within a 3D printed device.
“Prior to Clemson, I did not anticipate working or participating in an engineering environment, however the opportunities presented to undergraduates are unmatched across all fields.”
The research she has participated in at Clemson led her to obtain a position as a summer intern at the National Institutes of Health last summer. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
Kate notes some of her academic success to the people she is surrounded by here at Clemson, whether that be academic advisors, professors or other students.
“As I move forward in my degree, each semester I meet more people within the department, and the community that biochemistry and genetics majors have is truly special.”
After graduation, Kate plans to pursue an M.D. or a Ph.D.
“Medical school has been a long-term goal of mine, and following the introduction to biochemistry and research, it was apparent the original plan could be expanded in order to better help others in the long run.”
If you are looking for senior genetics major Kate Miller, you may find her in the classroom, sports concession stands, Dr. Powder’s lab or on Wednesdays, you’ll see her taking advantage of the $5 sushi deal at Publix.
Both Kate’s focus on community and STEM brought her to Clemson University.
“I came to Clemson because my first visit in middle school caused me to absolutely fall in love with Clemson’s tight-knit community and its emphasis on STEM programs.”
Kate chose her genetics major and her biological sciences minor because she wanted the ability to study both biology and chemistry on a deeper level. Kate says she hopes both her major and minor help in her pursuit of going to Pathologist Assistant school.
“The best part of being in the G&B department has been the personalized support from my mentors and advisors. As a smaller department, I have a strong network with the faculty who make me feel comfortable and supported with my academic and career questions.”
Kate loves working with the fish and notes that this opportunity has greatly enhanced her laboratory skills. Kate’s personal project from this summer explores the developmental effects of estrogen on facial structure.
“Endocrine disruptors such as estrogen have been found in the environment due to pollution, and this research will show what may happen to the facial development of humans if exposed, especially in utero.”
In addition to undergraduate research, Kate is a member and leader of BeakerBox, a CI project where we develop interactive lesson plans for middle school science classrooms in South Carolina. BeakerBox aims to engage 6th-8th graders in the life sciences by keeping science fun and interesting.
“After graduation I plan on going back to school to become a pathologist assistant. My favorite classes right now are Toxicology and Anatomy, which are both fascinating and helping to lay a solid foundation for my future career!”
Yellow camellias are far rarer than white, pink and red, found only in south China and Vietnam. Senior biochemistry major Allen Gomez’s research aims to make propagation and growing of yellow camellias easier.
Gomez’s research is done through the Creative Inquiry + Undergraduate Research program with associate professor Dr. Haiying Laing, whose research focuses on the application of genetics and genomics to improve economically important traits in plants.
“I think it’s really interesting how gene editing and being able to modify and improve certain aspects of different organisms through genetics works,” said Gomez.
Working with first-year Ph.D. student Roger Zhang he has investigated the expression levels of auxin response factor (ARF) genes in Camellia nitidissima, aiming to determine how ARF genes were regulated in yellow camellias, possibly leading to the ability to determine a method to induce adventitious roots and develop a treatment method that would improve the rooting ability of yellow camellias.
Gomez’s end goal is to attend medical school and become a surgeon. He says the research he has done through this project gives him valuable research experience to bolster his medical school applications and allows him to hone skills he’ll use throughout his career in medicine.
“It shows that I am able to follow instructions step-by-step, take precise notes, solve problems, work with others, interpret data and know the importance of sterility. I’ll use those skills in medical school and as a surgeon,” he said.
Gomez’s desire to become a surgeon stems from a childhood experience. When Gomez was 10, he lived in Ecuador. After falling off monkey bars at the playground and breaking his wrist, it was four days before he could get the surgery he needed. That sparked his interest in surgery and a desire to help bring more medical services to rural areas in Ecuador.
“My experiences at Clemson helped solidify my belief that pursuing a medical career is the right thing to do.”
